


Downfall

by albxnx



Category: Hamilton - Miranda, Turn (TV 2014)
Genre: Alpha George Washington, Alpha Hercules Mulligan, Alpha Marquis de Lafayette, Alpha Thomas Jefferson, Alpha/Beta/Omega Dynamics, Alternate Universe - College/University, Alternate Universe - Dystopia, Alternate Universe - Slavery, Angst, Angst and Fluff and Smut, Angst and Hurt/Comfort, Beta Aaron Burr, Beta Alexander Hamilton, Beta Benjamin Tallmadge, Bottom Aaron Burr, Bottom Alexander Hamilton, Bottom Benjamin Tallmadge, Bottom James Madison, Bottom John Laurens, Bottom Marquis de Lafayette, Bottom Thomas Jefferson, Branding, F/M, Fluff and Angst, Fluff and Smut, Hurt/Comfort, M/M, Male Preg, Master/Slave, Multi, Omega James Madison, Omega John Laurens, Omega Verse, Pack Dynamics, Politics, Polyamory, Poor Thomas, Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder - PTSD, Protect Thomas, Rape/Non-con Elements, Sexual Slavery, Slut Shaming, Smut, Submission, Thomas is a bottom, Top George Washington, Top Hercules Mulligan, Top Marquis de Lafayette, Top Thomas Jefferson, Violence, omega thomas jefferson
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2019-02-03
Updated: 2019-07-11
Packaged: 2019-10-21 20:22:27
Rating: Explicit
Warnings: Graphic Depictions Of Violence, Rape/Non-Con, Underage
Chapters: 9
Words: 64,370
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/17649263
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/albxnx/pseuds/albxnx
Summary: The Omega didn’t answer, slowly calming down and obviously drifting into sleep. Aaron wanted to curl up against him so badly, fall asleep on his warm chest and press him close to his heart until his tears were dry. But he knew he had to go.He took a step away from the bed, but was stopped when a hand grabbed his wrist.“Was I good?”Aaron’s heart ached at the trembling little voice. A part of him would have preferred the question to be a mark of his usual arrogance. But as he turned around, facing the poor mess of tears that was his once smug friend, he was forced to crack a weak smile.“You were perfect Thomas.”And you’ll always be.





	1. J-1

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Thomas is an ass and he doesn't get human decency.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> TRIGGER WARNING: slut shaming/ mention of rape/ mention of slavery

“Omegas make up to a third of society. It has been proven by numerous scientists that their cognitive abilities are similar to Alphas’ and Betas’, and thus all I’m saying is-”

 

“Shut up Hamilton. No one cares.”

 

The class snickered slightly as Alexander turned to the one who spoke with a heinous glare. Jefferson was sat on the very last row of the amphitheatre, a smug grin on his lips. The other man didn’t hesitate and got up, pointing an accusative finger towards the obviously disinterested Alpha.

 

“Maybe _you_ don’t care Jefferson, but times are changing. It’s your own damn problem if you’re stuck in 1789,” he spat, before turning to the rest of the class, “It is time we, as a developed society, accept that Omegas are human beings, capable of feeling and thinking. Today’s research allowed the creation of various serums and products to reduce heats and their impact on both Alphas and Omegas. We must change our mindsets and accept them as fully functional members of society and-”

 

“So you’re just going to ignore the fact that all they can care about is being filled with a huge cock?”

 

Louder snickers echoed in the classroom as Thomas let out this new comment. Next to him, Aaron Burr kept silent, quietly watching over his best friend. Jefferson always found a way to get himself into troubles. If the richest Alpha heir in the United States could get into any real troubles, that is…

Alexander turned around again, eyes like daggers as his jaw stiffened.

 

“ _Yes_ , Thomas,” he growled with a cold voice, “I’m going to ignore the fact that Nature provided them with specific reproductive organs and means, and-”

 

“So you’re telling me that we should allow them to roam amongst us freely despite the fact that once a month they’re literally assaulting every Alphas they see? They have no notion of self control or loyalty, how do you want them to even work?”

 

Hamilton bit his tongue to let him speak, more than furious to be cut once again. Alphas really thought they were allowed to do everything they wanted… He shook his head and crossed his arms.

 

“Actually Thomas, recent research has proven that eighty six percent of Omegas in heat feel assaulted when taken, while ninety percent of Omegas in general feel assaulted by Alphas. Truth is-”

 

“Wait did you actually interview some Omegas?” Jefferson’s eyes had lit up with tease and mischief, “So what? You interviewed your little friend John Laurens? Or maybe you went to Daddy’s famous Omega House… Who knew the great Beta Alexander Hamilton enjoyed himself a good whore once in a while...”

 

The professor quickly calmed the whistles and loud snickers as some students were stopping Alexander from jumping to Jefferson’s throat. The Alpha smirked down at him with a condescending look, Burr sighing next to him.

 

“Stop teasing him Thomas… You know he always catches the hook...”

 

“C’mon Aaron what’s he gonna do? Bite me?”

 

Aaron shook his head and tried to focus on the lesson again, but it seemed the professor struggled with one small issue, aka Alexander Hamilton.

The Beta was snarling at Jefferson again, muscles tensed and eyes burning. He was thankfully static, having given up in the perilous “Kill Thomas Jefferson” plan. Yet the teacher was still unable to keep him quiet.

 

“If you insult George Washington _one more time_ I swear to God I’ll make you swallow your own tongue, you pathetic testosterone bag! I spent hours in the library studying from actual documents and interviewing both Housing Omegas and Working Omegas to present a well structured analysis for class, as _I_ at least pay attention!”

 

Jefferson rolled his eyes, not even answering. He simply grinned at Hamilton, which drove him mad. His eyes lit up and he stormed out of the classroom under loud mocking cheers from the crowd of young Alphas and Betas.

The professor sighed and waited for silence to settle in again. He finally looked up.

 

“Now… We are done with Mister Hamilton’s hum… _presentation…_ Let’s get back to today’s main subject.”

 

The room suddenly fell quiet, all eyes directed towards the board. Even Thomas Jefferson seemed to pay more attention, as the Power Point presentation opened up, the title standing out in huge black letters:

 

_**The Twenty Years Graduation** _

 

Thomas already knew what it was about, and he doubted anyone in the room wasn’t aware of it, Alphas or Betas alike. The twentieth birthday was an important step for both cast, as it marked the passage from teenage years to adulthood legally speaking. Betas were then allowed to start working for Alphas, and Alphas were given their very first Omega. Usually, it was the year both Alphas and Betas graduated from college, immediately starting their own companies or inheriting their family’s one.

Betas would seek to work under the most powerful Alphas, as Advisers and Omega Watchers. Their roles differed from one firm to another, but most Betas were recruited for their acute intelligence and their pheromones, soothing for Omegas, and thus helping with the Branding process or less submissive individuals. Their lack of ambition was often another factor attractive to Alphas, as they would never try to take over the leadership roles. Of course, exceptions existed, like the _very_ competitive Alexander Hamilton, future Adviser to the Mulligan de Lafayette household.

 

Alphas were charismatic born leaders. Unlike Betas, they were aggressive and powerful, yet most required the help of a Beta Adviser for rational thinking, and both cast would get along easily naturally. Young Alphas were not allowed to own any Omegas before the age of twenty, age at which they were given their first Housing Omega. Most Alphas owned more than one Omega, yet rare were those who were close to more than one. You could buy or rent Working Omegas at the market for any kind of chores you needed done in your firm, and you could even buy Housing Omegas for house chores, yet an Alpha usually bonded with their first Omega only. A bond was different than a Brand; Alphas would brand any of their Omegas, but Branding was obviously more physical than bonding.

 

Young Alphas and Betas could _experience_ with each other from a very young age, usually at their sexual puberty, around 14-15 years old. As Betas were less sexually driven than the two other casts, Alphas would go to Omega Houses at a very early age. They were popular places offering a wide range of Omega services to Alphas and Betas, yet most of them were based on prostitution. Most were led by Betas, yet some of the most well-known Houses were run by Alphas, like Washington’s.

 

Thomas had never been to an Omega House before, unlike most of his friends. The Virginian had decided he would save himself up for his first Omega from a very early age. His parents had not protested too vigorously at their son’s fantasy. Their original fears about Thomas having some kind of sexual deficiency had soon been erased, the young man experiencing enough with his friend Aaron Burr. They had know each other forever, the Burr and Jefferson households having a close partnership.

 

The Burrs were a renowned Beta cast of America, known for its long Beta lineage, and the absence of any Omega heirs within their family tree. The Jeffersons were perhaps the most famous Alpha family of the United States, known for the absolute purity of their Alpha blood, as no Betas nor Omegas had ever been spawned by the Jefferson women.

Thus it was only natural for the two purest casts of America to have settled a long lasting partnership, Burr Betas always becoming Jeffersons’ Advisers. Aaron and Thomas were no exception, and their eyes had barely opened that they were put in the same crib, growing alongside each other. They knew they were meant to rule over their peers, and thus never left each others’ sides.

 

Thomas got bored of the lecture after exactly four minutes and twelve seconds according to Burr’s calculations. He leaned back in his chair and glared at the ever focused Beta.

 

“Let’s leave Aaron… We know all about the ceremony anyway...”

 

Aaron didn’t even look at him, readjusting his grey tie before staring back at the board.

 

“My parents will get mad if I skip class again.”

 

“Aren’t your old dudes always mad?”

 

“Aren’t yours never caring?”

 

Thomas sighed loudly, sprawling himself on the table. He gave little to no regards to the poor professor, who knew better than to tell off the Jefferson heir for his misconduct.

The Virginian pulled on his magenta tie, growling.

 

“It’s too hot in here anyway… Come Burr, we know everything about Graduation day anyway...”

 

“Thomas be reasonable, you’re almost twenty...”

 

“So are you and I’ve never been told twenty was the age at which people would become boring and studious assholes..”

 

Aaron finally shot him a pissed glare and got up, gathering his things under Thomas’ self satisfied smirk. He didn’t wait for him and burst out of the room, having obviously brought nothing to take notes on.

Burr followed calmly, ignoring as he could the obnoxious Alpha next to him.

 

“We can’t go to my house cause our Omegas are in heat and my parents will surely be busy with them,” Thomas was saying, hands behind his head as he walked as quickly as his tall legs allowed him too, “Though I promised Lafayette I would pass by his house before Graduation day so we can go there.”

 

Burr quickly caught up with him, arms folded behind his back. He raised a brow at him.

 

“Why so?”

 

“Don’t know. Maybe he wants to give me some advice on how to choose my Omega.”

 

Lafayette was four years older than the two friends. His family had always been close to the Jeffersons, and he was one of Thomas’ best friends. Lafayette was married to Hercules Mulligan, another Alpha, one year older than him. They both enjoyed a calm and quiet life, living of Hercules’ tailor job, and had only one Housing Omega, John Laurens, ever since Mulligan’s Omega passed away.

 

Burr quickly checked his watch.

 

“You do realize it’s late already, and our Graduation Ceremony is tomorrow. Hamilton might even be with them anyway.”

 

Thomas growled and looked at the Beta with a disgusted glare.

 

“Well he better not be there or I’ll chase him myself,” he grumbled, a hand on his hips.

 

People were looking at them with wide eyes, full of amazement. Some little Alpha girl squealed, saying she had seen them in the magazine _Alpha Trend_. Jefferson winked at her with a facade grin.

Aaron simply walked by his side, thoughtful.

 

“He’s their future Adviser, and he’ll graduate with us,” he pointed out, “You can’t blame him if he’s making some last minutes arrangements with his employers.”

 

Thomas sighed loudly, passing an arm around his shoulders. Aaron didn’t flinch, listening to his over dramatic friend.

 

“Gaaaah what do they even need an Adviser for? Hercules is a _tailor_.”

 

“Well Alex gets along with their Omega pretty well...”

 

“Who cares? It’s an Omega…”

 

Aaron looked at him and frowned at his obliviousness.

 

“You know they’re all over him...”

 

“Yeah well they’re also all over their future little Adviser…,” Thomas groaned, removing his arm to walk faster despite Burr being shorter than him, “Seriously, are they gonna start a Pack with a Beta and only one Omega? Geez they’re twisted…,” he mumbled.

 

Aaron walked faster, and shook his head softly.

 

“They’re both men Thomas… Only Laurens can provide them with an heir…”

 

Thomas turned to him and stuck out his tongue in disgust.

 

“Ugh… An Omega giving birth to the heir of two Alphas… and surely one _Beta…_ ”

 

“You know they’re open-minded...”

 

Thomas dramatically raised his hand, still walking.

 

“Stop right there Aaron. They’re only open-minded cause Hamilton’s liberal shit got through their heads. It’s all Washington’s fault, he should have never accepted to adopt that bastard. We don’t even know his lineage! And now he got to Washington’s head and to Lafayette and Mulligan’s… Haven’t you heard? The old man’s Omega House is apparently providing “basic human decency” to its Omegas… Bullshit I heard they were allowed to take _baths…_ Aaron _baths…_ You know the water cycle right? He allows them to pollute our water with Omega pheromones!”

 

“Well the simple fact that Omegas need to drink is a part of the water cycle...”

 

“Oh shut up you smartass...”

 

Aaron chuckled, amused. His friend would never change. Thomas knew Burr was right, and yet he just had to make a big deal out of everything. It ran in his blood…

If Hamilton was an exception to Betas, Lafayette and Mulligan were exceptions to Alphas. They were patient and kind, and very close and protective over their Omega. Washington, owner of an Omega House, was less caring, yet he was an exception too, thanks to Hamilton’s beliefs. He had adopted the young Caribbean a few years before he death of his wife, having just resigned from an important job in Congress. No one knew the whereabouts of his first Omega, and some assumed they had just died of old age. Now Washington was running a prestigious Omega House with the help of his Adviser, Benjamin Tallmadge.

 

Aaron took a glance at his watch again and sighed.

 

“I really gotta go though… My parents will end up knowing I skipped class and I better tell them right now rather than having to explain where I was later...”

 

Thomas whined, getting to press him into a tight hug. All drama, of course, but Aaron let him do.

 

“Burr you are so meeeaaaan. Who’s gonna stop me from killing Hamilton if he’s there?”

 

Aaron shook his head and pushed him away.

 

“Listen, he may not be there. Surely he wants to spend some time with his father before Graduation day, especially if Laf and Mulligan want him to move in with them.”

 

Thomas crossed his arms childishly, pouting.

 

“As if he was going to complain...”

 

Aaron chuckled and got to kiss his neck respectfully, yet Thomas barely threw his head back, still upset.

 

“Enjoy your talk Thomas ~~ Behave ~”

 

“Oh shut up Burr...”

 

~~~~~~~~~

 

“So Thomas, tomorrow’s your _grand jour_ right?”

 

Thomas was sat on a huge armchair, glaring at Lafayette and Mulligan with rather… judgemental eyes.

It wasn’t so much the overly XVIIIth century styled decorations, nor the fact that the Frenchman was speaking...well… French to him (Thomas knew French perfectly, and saying _grand jour_ instead of _big day_ was not an issue for him despite the fact that it was unnecessary).

No the problem was more… freckled. Indeed the couple’s Omega was laying across their lap, gently nuzzling against Lafayette’s hand as Mulligan was petting his hips. Laurens appeared healthy, well _groomed_ in his ornamented night gown. And to Thomas’ surprise, he even looked _confident_ , peaceful and absolutely oblivious to his Omega condition.

 

Jefferson shook his head and cleared his throat.

 

“Yeah… It is…”

 

Lafayette squealed happily under Mulligan’s tender gaze.

 

“I’m so excited for you! You’ll see, Omegas are the sweetest creatures on Earth – beside you honey ~~” he added towards Hercules.

 

The broader Alpha grinned, gently nibbling at his lover’s ear. Thomas’ eyes widened as Laurens got to nuzzle in between them, cooing to get more attention.

How could this small, good-for-nothing, pampered Omega just interrupt his masters like this? Thomas had no clue.

Yet his eyes widened even more if physically possible when Lafayette and Mulligan simply peppered the younger man with kisses instead of scolding him.

 

After a few moments of silence, Thomas cleared his throat, and very eloquently commented.

 

“What the fuck?”

 

Lafayette looked up, Mulligan holding the Omega closer. Thomas’ confusion and anger made him release stress pheromones, and soon Laurens started trembling softly, looking at him with fear and submission.

Lafayette sighed and got to sit closer to Thomas, while Mulligan carried Laurens upstairs.

 

“Listen I know you haven’t been here often, but could you please not scare our Omega like this?”

 

Thomas snapped, shooting him a cold glare.

 

“Scaring him? He’s an Omega Laf! Seriously I knew you guys liked him but not _that much_.”

 

Lafayette sighed, shaking his head. He took Thomas’ hand.

 

“ _Mon ami_ , don’t be uspet. You’ll… You’ll find out soon I guess… But you’ll be surprised to see how gentle and caring Omegas are when you treat them well and-”

 

“Treat them _well_?”, Thomas choked, snapping his hand away. “God Laf do you hear yourself? Jesus is it how Alphas are raised in France? I’ve known you for a while but _holy shit_...”

 

Thomas was confused as to how an Alpha as well esteemed as Lafayette could lower himself to _this_. Omegas were slaves, sex slaves. Their pheromones were a bother to Alphas, their heats made them pathetic sex cravers. They truly had nothing human within them but the appearance.

 

Lafayette’s gaze turned colder.

 

“Listen, not everything is about sex and hierarchy you know… Laurens was barely sixteen when I chose him as my Omega, and now he’s twenty, and he’s grown to know us well enough to enjoy our attentions now that we can mate h-”

 

“Wait. Are you actually telling me you haven’t had sex with him in four years?”

 

Thomas glared at him as if he was some kind of alien. Lafayette sighed.

 

“No listen-”

 

“Are you _kidding_ me? What about his heats? Your needs? What did Mulligan say?”

 

Lafayette looked away, eyes burning with sorrow.

 

“We had Mulligan’s Omega up until four years ago, when we lost her to a Heatwave.”

 

Thomas fell silent. He knew about this story. They had sent Lila, Mulligan’s first Omega, to the market, when some random Omega had gotten their heats. Thanks to the lack of suppressants at the time, it created a mass Heatwave, killing four Omegas, raped and trampled over by lust driven Alphas. Lafayette and Mulligan had been devastated.

 

Lafayette sighed and smiled weakly.

 

“After what happened to Lila, Hamilton’ speeches finally made sense. We realized we actually cared about our Omega, and when I graduated and got Laurens, just before marrying Hercules, I… I saw how small and scared he was...”

 

His eyes shone with endearment at the memory, and Jefferson let him speak.

 

“Omegas are angels you know… Laurens is so smart and amazing, and seeing him actually trust us and not fear us was… is perfect,” his eyes dimmed softly. “He’ll never replace Lila, and even if I didn’t know her that much, I can never stop thinking about how awesome she would have been had Mulligan and I been kinder to her...”

 

Thomas waited, then snorted, to Lafayette’ surprise.

 

“Listen, I don’t know what the hell is wrong with you but I’ll brand my little whore right after tomorrow’s ceremony. Suppressants? No thanks! Nice pep talk, but I won’t become a part of your Omega Fanclub. Bye Laf.”

 

He got up, making his way towards the door with a giggle, half pissed half nervous. Lafayette sighed, watching him go.

 

“You should try Thomas… I swear, just try to be nice to them...”

 

“Sure sure… See ya at the ceremony ~~”

 

He slammed the door behind him, bit by the chilling cold of the night. The streets were already dark, only lit by the yellowish spark of street lamps.

 

Jefferson closed his expensive magenta coat, chuckling a little bit at the thought of his conversation.

Being nice to an Omega? Of course! But no more than you would be nice to a dog.

He hadn’t been raised to be a sweetheart, he had been raised to procure heirs to the Jefferson family. He was to marry a rich and powerful Alpha, and make numerous baby Alphas.

He’d have Omegas too, lots of them. He had no time to get attached to one single Omega, and he already had his eyes on various Working Omegas from the market. People of his cast had no time for little chores, and given the enormous size of his estate, he needed several hands to do the workload.

Plus, he’d inherit all the Omegas of his family at his parents’ death, and he knew Burr would help him.

 

Thomas smirked to himself. There was no doubt at all he was to become the most efficient and rich Jefferson Alpha of his lineage. Alphas from all over the globe would bend over before him, kneel and beg for his protection. They’d come from afar to praise him and make business deals with him.

 

Oh Jefferson was jubilating at this single thought. He only needed Aaron and his little Omega slaves to succeed. The world was going to even forget about the Jefferson family, they’ll only know Thomas Jefferson. He’ll be a brand to himself, he’ll rule over the world if he had to.

 

He started crossing the road, eyes burning with power lust, ready to crash the world between his own two hands.

He didn’t have time for Lafayette’s advice. Didn’t have time for Hamilton’s new ideas.

 

He had greater callings and soon-

 

The thought of his glory was suddenly muted.

As Jefferson noticed the cross walk getting lighter and lighter, his sharp eyes widened, screwed on the red little person shining on the panel in front of him.

The last thing he heard was the loud screeching of tires, then the deafening bang that resonated through his entire body.

 

Jefferson fell to the ground, a sharp pain in his hips. The world he had already conquered in his mind was escaping his grasp as his eyes closed into nothingness.

 

 

 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Heyyyyyy ~~
> 
> It's not as if I had exams coming up... Or another Hamilton fanfiction to finish... but...
> 
> OKAY MAYBE IT IS  
> But I've always wanted to start an Omega Verse and I had this idea running around and screeching inside my head sooooo
> 
> I probably won't be able to update regularly before my next vacations but here is the first chapter
> 
> You can subscribe if you want to know when the next chapter's up (in a while surely so yeah subscribing seems a good option)
> 
> Don't forget to leave kudos or comments (tell me if you like my version of this AU i'm curious and I answer to all comments ~~)
> 
> And see you later alligator ~~~~
> 
> Oh and yes I've put the Turn (2014) fandom because of Benjamin Tallmadge. This show is gold but this remains an Hamilton fanfic, and all the appearances are those of the Original Cast, except for this one minor character.


	2. Triangle Spectrum

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Thomas wakes up in a hospital. He feels unlike hismelf, and his Beta friends seem to know why.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> TRIGGER WARNING: PTSD/ mention of rape/ slight body dysphoria/ panic attack/ mention of (sexual) slavery

Thomas’ eyelids were stuck, heavy and painful. It was the first thing he could feel when he woke up. Everything was dark, completely dark, and he had no idea where or what time it was.

A strong wave of stress tightened his chest, and a weak moan escaped his dry throat.

God he truly couldn’t see anything… It was just like that night… That… When was it again…?

 

He couldn’t remember anything but the sudden light, the tires and the loud BANG. He could feel himself tremble at the memory, and the movement made the ache in his sore muscles increase. Another gurgle escaped his lips as he tried to open his eyes.

 

It was all blurry and white, blinding him. It was like the sudden light in the darkness on that night.

 

Then the loud BANG.

 

God his head was throbbing. It was as if everything went by slowly, and the ringing in his ears just wouldn’t stop.

 

Like the tires on the road.

 

BANG

 

Another weak whine escaped his lips, and it hurt, his dry lips hurt, everything hurt and it was too light.

The blur increased as a few tears of panic dripped down his cheeks, and he tried to sit up despite the pain and the tires in his brain.

 

BANG

 

It was all white and he couldn’t see. It was all light and he couldn’t speak.

Another sob as he reached out into the white void, breath ragged by panic.

 

BANG

 

And someone took his hand.

 

It was still way too light for him to see clearly, but now he had a focus point. Thomas turned to the source of the soft voice that tried to soothe him. He couldn’t comprehend a thing, the words muted as if drowned into melted marshmallows. He could simply feel the hand holding his, the other hand rubbing his shoulders.

The figure was dark, a dark stain in the terrifying light, and somehow Thomas w as thankful for that. He unconsciously let out more whimpers as he sought reassurance, his grasp tightening around the other hand.

 

Soon the ringing in his head tuned down, and the world stopped spinning slowly. He blinked twice and then his reddened eyes landed on Burr’s concerned smile.

 

“Hey there… Welcome back, buddy…” he breathed out as he replaced a lock of hair behind his ear.

 

Thomas unconsciously leaned into the touch, to Burr’ slight surprise. He could feel the Alpha’s high heart rate decrease slowly, and he let out a soft sigh.

 

“Sweet Jesus Thomas, we were so scared…”

 

Thomas looked up, straightening more and more as he slowly started to grasp back onto reality. He blinked, looking around. He was laying on a large bed, and his first intuition was correct: everything was white indeed. Now that his mind was clearer, he understood he had landed into a hospital due to the accident.

 

He blinked and let out a groan of pain, rubbing his eyes. Aaron grinned, reassured to see his friend complaining instead of just whimpering in his arms. Yet he had seen Thomas drunk many times, and each time it was a sight to witness. Groggy, tired, morning, and drunk Thomas were the funniest things ever, and right now, as his friend’s eyelids were everything but coordinated, Burr was wheezing inside.

 

“Where are we?” the Alpha groaned.

 

“Saint-Clair’s hospital. You got hit pretty bad… Haven’t you learnt to check the damn road before crossing? Especially at night?”

 

Thomas shot him a death glare, but the Beta was unaffected. He was used to it anyway.

 

“Saint-Clair? The Alpha hospital?” he grumbled, ignoring his question.

 

Aaron got up from the bed and got to the little kitchenette on the other side of the room.

 

“Yeah your folks wanted you to get the best care, so you understand this hospital has the best reputation in New York… But geez I never thought it was true… I haven’t seen one Beta inside, not even in the medical staff… I heard they were only allowed in a special wing of the five buildings on the Saint-Clair property, where the Alphas in sex therapies required the presence of Omegas… Can you believe this?” he rambled, pouring a glass of water for his friend.

 

Thomas licked his lips in anticipation, barely listening. God he was thirsty… His lips and throat were completely dry.

 

“Yeah well… For the best hospital in New York they could do a better job at hydrating their patients...” he groaned, immediately swallowing the whole glass.

 

Burr chuckled, eyes landing on the floor as his smile got faker. Thomas’ pupils twitched and he raised a brow.

 

“What?” he spat, a bit harsher than he intended.

 

God everything hurt, and he felt so weird. As if something was slipping away from his grasp, and he couldn’t stop it.

 

Burr sighed.

 

“We made sure you were drinking enough, but you were very agitated… We thought we’d had to strap you to the bed, you were crying and sweating a lot...”

 

Thomas tensed. An Alpha of his rank… Whimpering in his sleep? He let out a dry chuckle, Burr pouring some more water in his glass.

 

The silence stretched, Burr feeling as uneasy as Thomas, and just as unable to grasp why. Then he sat on the bed, fiddling with his shirt, a forced smile on his lips.

 

“So hum… You were out for three days and missed the ceremony but like don’t worry… It was long and boring honestly… Your parents filled in your papers, so you don’t have to care about it, you’re officially an adult Alpha…”

 

As Thomas wasn’t responding, eyes screwed darkly on his glass, Burr nervously continued.

 

“Our parents filled in the paperwork for us to become… you know… Alpha and Adviser… so yeah hum I hope it doesn’t bother you…”

 

Thomas didn’t answer, lost in thoughts. The scene of his accident wasn’t playing in his head like a broken record any more, but a deeper concern troubled him. Something he couldn’t grasp, no matter how hard he tried. He could feel it in his bones, the shift, the change that made him feel like he didn’t belong in his own skin.

It wasn’t like him to have nightmares. It wasn’t like him to hug and seek tenderness.

 

Burr’s voice seemed far away, and he only reacted after a few more calls from the concerned Beta. He snapped up, looking at him with slight confusion.

Aaron tilted his head to the side.

 

“Are you sure you’re okay Thomas? Should I call the doctor?”

 

“N-no no don’t worry… I’m fine I… Yes it’s great of course… I’m super happy you’re my Adviser Aaron...”

 

Aaron stared at him silently, Thomas forcing a facade smile. The Beta shook his head, unconvinced.

 

“Thom-”

 

“Where are my parents?”

 

Burr tensed, and Thomas’s eyes darkened.

 

“They...” the Beta started, carefully analysing his friend, “They came by yesterday. But they had work to do you know…? Your father has this big meeting with Monroe he’s scheduled months ago, and your mother had to deal with the new furnisher and-”

 

“It’s alright I understand.”

 

Another fake smile and Aaron stayed silent. Alphas rarely avoided their eyes. He had to respect Thomas’ boundaries, for his friends’ hazel eyes were screwed on the bed.

After a short silence Aaron opened his mouth to speak again, but Thomas was faster. He looked up with what he surely hoped was a detached look.

 

“Do you have an hour or so? I’ll just brand ya okay? Just lemme stan-”

 

His breath was cut short as he tried to sit on the edge of the bed. A sharp pain flew from his hips to his brain, icing his spine. His head was suddenly overflowed by a mix of warmth and cold as the pain surprised him greatly.

Burr immediately reacted and laid him back onto the bed.

 

“Thomas be careful! Your hips have been badly injured, you need to rest.”

 

Thomas let out a weak gurgle, eyes burning with fear and anger.

 

“My hips? What the heck let me go Aaron I-”

 

“No Thomas wai-”

 

“AARON LET ME GO”

 

The Alpha started violently fighting back, both his friend and the thought of his weakness. He needed to get out. Something wasn’t right and he needed to get out. It was all so light and the tires and BANG.

 

Soon Burr’s voice was muted by marshmallow again and Thomas was gone, eyes screwed on the ceiling in a feeling of utter terror he had never encountered before.

He should have been more careful. It was so dark, the light was red, he shouldn’t have crossed. And then it was all white and light and the tires screeched and BANG.

 

The door was slammed open and he snapped back to reality. Aaron was next to him, hands clenched around his arm and looking absolutely panicked. Yet Thomas couldn’t care less. His eyes were screwed on the door, where a doctor in a white blouse was standing.

 

And somehow the white didn’t scare him.

And Burr noticed it.

 

The man approached, professional and calm, gently taking Thomas’ vitals. But Jefferson was completely soothed again, silently watching him with a scarcely hidden awe. He somehow heard the Alpha talk to Burr, and Aaron answered calmly.

 

Aaron was dark. His eyes had darkened too when the doctor entered.

Yet it wasn’t as soothing as the older man’s presence.

 

Something about the broad shoulders made him feel safer than ever. Something about the honey skin made him feel touch starved. And he knew all about starvation, for he had refused to give in to his Alpha needs for his whole life, having never touched an Omega.

 

Something about his scent made him want to cuddle and coo, moan and smile, obey and submit.

 

And it wasn’t until the doctor had left the room that Thomas was able to grasp back reality. He shook his head and blinked softly, looking around with confusion.

 

His eyes landed on Burr, and somehow his friend’s eyes were still as dark. Surely he didn’t like that doctor.

 

“You okay Aaron?”

 

The Beta didn’t answer, sat on a chair next to the bed. His feet and legs were closed tight, his hands folded almost childishly on his knees. It was a habit for Burr to make himself smaller when he was thinking or upset. Somehow it helped him focus onto himself.

 

Thomas frowned softly, oblivious to what had happened to him. As his friend was clearly not going to answer, he simply stretched and yawned.

 

“So… What did the doc’ say?”

 

Burr didn’t answer. His eyes were screwed on the ground, and he looked away even more. A tensed expression was twisting his lips, and his eyes were burning with an obvious discomfort.

 

“You just have to stay in bed for a few days, cause you have a light concussion. He gave you the harsh treatment for your physical wounds though. Your hips shouldn’t bother you any more in a day or two, yet he still believes you’ll have permanent sequels.”

 

His voice was cold and dry, as if he wanted to say as few words as possible. Thomas tensed slightly, eyes dimming.

 

“Oh… What kind?”

 

“Nothing much. Be carefully with strong movements when your muscles are cold, that’s all.”

 

Thomas nodded. He could feel Aaron wanted to say more, yet he didn’t want to ask. He didn’t know why, but somehow… Somehow he felt like the answer wouldn’t please him.

 

The silence stretched, and it would have been uncomfortable if they weren’t used to some quiet times together. Aaron had always needed some space from time to time. The Beta simply opened a book, and Thomas was left to his own thoughts.

He was about to engage the conversation on the Branding topic, when the door slammed open once more.

 

“HEY GUYS”

 

Aaron, being the chill human being he was, didn’t even move an inch, simply turning his page with a controlled lick on his finger. Thomas on the contrary, being the recently awoken wounded mess that he was, screeched.

 

“Wow hey Jeffershit that’s some pretty high notes you can hit...”

 

Hamilton grinned cockily at him, walking in and closing the door as if he wasn’t just Thomas’ arch nemesis. Thomas shot him a death glare, eyes burning and fingers clenched on the sheet.

 

“Hamilton. What are you doing here? This is a private hospital.”

 

The intruder was already helping himself with some coffee in the kitchenette. He looked up innocently, genuinely confused.

 

“So what? I just said I was your friend. Hey check that out! They got some top quality coffee!”

 

Thomas groaned, glaring at him.

 

“You’re everything but my friend. Out.”

 

Alex sighed and got to sit on a chair at the end of the bed not to get murdered by the taller man. He sipped his coffee calmly, Burr completely ignoring them.

 

“Kidding Tommy. What’d you think? They would let a random Beta get inside the most luxurious hospital ever just cause he said he knew Thomas Jefferson, the richest dude on Earth? Nah I came here on behalf of Laf and Herc.”

 

He proudly showed some kind of paper, a derogation surely.

 

“That’s my temporary Adviser papers. John’s in heat so they can’t leave the house to go get me my badge so for now I have these. It’s cool right?”

 

Thomas rolled his eyes. He had just noticed the two branding marks on the other man’s neck. The two others had not lost their time…

 

“Get to the point asshole.”

 

“Right,” he downed his coffee in one gulp. “They just wanted to tell you they are super happy you’re awake even if they can’t come and Laf was so scared cause like apparently you guys had an argument the day you almost _died_ and he was on the verge of having a mental breakdown and I swear to God with John getting his heat and the Frenchman freaking out it was _frantic_ like you can’t imagine the hell it was I had to convince him to get up he was literally laying on the goddamn floor I swear to God the _f_ _loo_ _r_ Thomas the carpet is ruined with his tears and John’s fluids I spent a day cleaning it’s seriously-”

 

“Hamilton.”

 

The Caribbean Beta suddenly remembered he required oxygen to survive and he took a long gulp of air, then looked at Thomas with a perfectly natural smile.

 

“Yes?”

 

Thomas was glaring at him, Burr still silently reading. At this point had Thomas and Alexander been more careful they’d have noticed the other Beta’s behaviour was oddly distant and aloof, as if he was hiding in his book not to take part in the conversation.

 

Yet as Thomas was about to answer, the human embodiment of Hell was talking again, gasping and beaming, almost as excited as a toddler.

 

“Oh yeah right my bad Thomas I’m forgetting my manners. Listen I know we don’t like each other but I don’t want you to think I’m bad mannered like I wouldn’t want Washington, Lafayette or Mulligan to get told I’m a moron you know? Don’t worry you don’t have to stand I’m coming right this way.”

 

And as if his body was working ahead of his mind the Beta was on his feet, quickly getting to Burr. No matter the rank or gender, greeting properly someone in a higher social or hierarchic position than you consisted in kissing his neck, sign of respect and submission which also implied the total trust of the superior.

 

Thomas had barely registered the sudden flow of words that Alexander was roughly biting on Burr’s neck, as he had close to no knowledge of anything related to “chill”. Chances are he didn’t even notice he had bitten him.

 

Aaron being completely numb and calm he simply let him do, raising his head to kiss his neck too, way softer. As they had known each other from a long time, they considered each other of equal status. Many traditions evolved along with the social norms, as in any society.

 

Then the human electric pile literally jumped on the bed, and as Thomas yelped, Alexander was surprised to find no resistance. The Alpha was pinned to the bed, shivering at the firm lips on his neck, head thrown back in what looked like total submission.

 

Thomas flushed, and after a few seconds of confusion he pushed Alex away, the Beta falling on his butt at Aaron’s feet.

 

His eyes had darkened drastically.

 

“W-What the fuck Alex? Can’t you warn people? Geez I’m sort of having a rough few days can’t you just greet me normally?”

 

Thomas was even more panicked to hear his voice come out as way more insecure than he intended. At this point he had a hand around his pulsing neck, completely tensed and hot.

 

Alexander didn’t answer and Aaron closed his book. He put it aside and got up to go and slowly lock the door.

Thomas tensed, gulping.

 

“W-wait what… What the hell are you doing?”

 

Burr simply turned to Alex, eyes grave.

 

“So you’ve seen it?”

 

Alexander was still on the floor, frowning in an obviously upset way. He nodded slowly, and Thomas’s eyes darted between the two in growing concern.

 

“H-hey guys I’m here. What the hell are you talking about?”

 

Alexander looked at him, and Thomas’ stomach twisted madly. He didn’t like it. He didn’t like the pity in his opponent’s eyes. The disgusting concern and unrequited kindness.

 

The Caribbean man got up, getting to Burr’ side. They were at the edge of the bed, standing tall and calm while Thomas was breathing heavily on his bed, irises turned into slits from stress.

 

Alexander sighed, Burr having crossed his arms, listening.

 

“Thomas, you… you do know how we all work right?”

 

Jefferson blinked, staring at him. Yet the other man seemed perfectly serious.

 

“You’re like… You’re pulling my leg right? How do _we_ work? You mean Alphas, Betas, Omegas and pheromones? The stuff we learn at five years old?”

 

Thomas chuckled, holding his sides to try and attenuate the pain in his muscles. The Betas stayed silent, looking at him with those same grave eyes he couldn’t understand. It sent a chill down his spine, and for the first time in his life he couldn’t hold their gaze.

 

“Yes Thomas,” Alexander continued, “but I’m talking about Betas more particularly. You surely learnt-”

 

“Okay I’m gonna need you to be quick,” Thomas yawned in an attempt to show his detachment, “I ain’t got time for a six hours speech on stuff I already know.”

 

Alexander didn’t roll his eyes.

 

“Betas are like the neutral bunch, we can control our scent, except of course for normal human emissions, like stress. Yet we are able to… how can I put it… “see” the hormonal waves? It’s like a spectrum… a triangular one.”

 

There was a short silence, during which Thomas turned to Burr.

 

“I don’t get it.”

 

Burr shook his head, but Alexander groaned before he could answer.

 

“No wait imma get clearer. Okay so there are three angles in this triangle.”

 

Short silence again, then Thomas started clapping slowly, getting a slight disapproving look from Aaron. He stopped and listened.

 

“Each angle represents one of the three secondary genders. Truth is, no human is fully Alpha, Beta, or Omega. It all depends on a various set of emotion. Take a random person, put them into a stressful situation. Now, you do know we all react differently to stress, right? Well for example, some might control themselves and try to help others, and thus their hormonal signal will stop gravitating around their main secondary gender and will oscillate between Alpha and their original one. Someone who’s gonna panic will oscillate closer to Omega. That’s fairly easy to understand right?”

 

Thomas rolled his eyes and hugged his knees unconsciously. Aaron and Alexander shared an unreadable look, which Thomas didn’t notice.

 

“So you see, let’s take Burr,” Alexander showed the other Beta, who glared at him confusedly, “When I see him I can look at his triangle spectrum, and I see a perfect Beta. Seriously this guy is the most neutral piece of shit I’ve ever seen.”

 

“Thanks,” Burr commented.

 

“When he looks at me...” Alexander dramatically continued, “Burr, darling, tell me what you see when you look at me?”

 

Aaron raised a brow, then sighed. He looked back at Thomas.

 

“Alex is a Beta, yet his signal often fluctuates between Alpha and Beta when he’s debating for example. Oh and he seriously gravitates around Omega when Hercules is around.”

 

Alex gasped and hit his arm.

 

“Aaron! He didn’t need to know that!”

 

“Well everyone knows Alex, and you told me to tell him what I see. It’s the simple truth.”

 

Thomas frowned at the little argument. Sometimes he forgot how close Betas could get. The two weakest genders, Betas and Omegas, often got along pretty naturally as a survival instinct.

 

“But what’s the link with me?”

 

The two stopped bickering and tensed. Once again Thomas felt like he didn’t want to know. His heart tightened madly.

 

Alexander looked at Burr, and the bald Beta got to sit on the bed next to Thomas. The Alpha trembled as he took his hand. It was so soft yet so strong. The perfect mix between Alpha and Omega, the perfect Beta.

 

“Thomas,” Aaron breathed out, locking his painful eyes with his, “This might be hard to understand, but the… the accident seems to have damaged your hormonal system.”

 

Thomas blinked, heart rate increasing.

 

“W-What does that mean? Why didn’t the doc say anything about it?”

 

“It’s cause you still smell like an Alpha, the full change might take some time,” Alex simply sighed.

 

Burr shot him a dark glare, and the other Beta shivered.

 

“Sorry...”

 

But Thomas didn’t let go.

 

“Change? What change? What does that mean “ _still_ smell like an Alpha”?”

 

Burr looked back at him with sorry eyes, holding his hand tighter. Thomas was on the verge of hyperventilation.

 

“It means… your hormonal system is a mess, and is very unclear for now… But… there’s no doubt about it, and Alex agrees with me...”

 

His eyes fluttered nervously towards his friend before turning back to Thomas.

 

“You’re strongly stabilizing around Omega...”

 

The world became strangely blank and silent for a split second, and it was as if his stomach had sunk to his feet. He wasn’t even sure he still had blood in his veins.

 

The two Betas looked at him with genuine concern.

 

“Thomas-”

 

“You’re wrong.”

 

Aaron gulped, and Hamilton looked away.

 

“Thom-”

 

“You’re wrong. I am Thomas Jefferson. There have never been anything but Alpha blood in my veins.”

 

“I know Thomas, I’m not questioning your lineage, but you have to understand I-”

 

“No _you_ are going to listen.”

 

He grabbed his collar, pulling him closer. Aaron could see the sheer despair in his friend’s eyes despite the burning anger, and it was tearing him apart.

 

“I am an Alpha. I have always been. And you might think some people on this Earth are struggling with their identity, but I am not. I am not fluctuating, and I won’t fluctuate. As soon as my muscles stop acting up I’ll be a fully functional Alpha, and I’ll ram both you and my Omega into whatever mattress I can find. Is that clear enough for you, Burr?”

 

Aaron stared at him, then he closed his eyes.

 

“You leave me no choice Thomas.”

 

Jefferson frowned, but as he was about to speak a sudden flow of warmth overwhelmed him. His chest was filled with calmness, and his head plopped onto Burr’ shoulder. He was so soft and sweet.

 

“This is how we Betas tame Omegas, Thomas. The only pheromones we produce are naturally soothing for them. They feel safe, they feel peaceful, and that’s why we are Advisers to Alphas. We calm their Omegas, we make sure there are no rebellions, and we tame the ones that _fluctuate_ a bit too much towards Alpha during the mating or branding sessions.”

 

Thomas registered the words like a hammer on his chest, but he was in no position to fight back. He just wanted to lean into the touch and sleep, safe and warm against the gentle Beta.

 

“I’m not saying you’ll be a total Omega, Thomas. I’m not saying you will stabilize completely and lose all of your Alpha instincts. Hell, you might be like Alex; he’s a loud-mouth bother without being an Alpha.”

 

Hamilton protested weakly from behind, but Thomas couldn’t grasp what he said. All he could hear was Burr, and he looked at him with enthralled eyes, drowning in his scent.

So this is why Aaron had felt safe in the first place…

 

The Beta sighed and contained his pheromones again, looking sadly at Thomas.

 

“I’m sorry Thomas. But that’s just how it is. Within a few days Alphas and Omegas will be able to smell your shift and you won’t be able to hide...”

 

Thomas trembled, eyes screwed onto him.

 

“B-but what am I going to do? My parents can’t know and… and I’ve been waiting for this day all my life I… I can’t become an Omega I haven’t even touched one before… I… Omegas are… They...”

 

“They are just as intelligent and human as us Thomas,” Hamilton stepped in, “But society doesn’t accept it yet. Now that I am an adult legally speaking I’m going to work with the Omega Rights activists, and Lafayette and Mulligan will soon accept to follow me. It’s only a matter of time before things change, but for now you need to hide...”

 

Thomas shot him a puzzled look.

 

“H-Hide? Why? W...Where?”

 

Aaron smiled weakly.

 

“If they discover the truth you’ll be disowned, and soon you might not be in a state to fight back an Alpha or a Beta. We need you to hide… an Omega house would be best.”

 

Hamilton gasped.

 

“Oh yes! Washington will be pleased to have you! You’ll be safe there! Our Omegas are amazing and Tallmadge is a super nice Beta!”

 

Thomas stared at him in disbelief.

 

“An… An Omega… No,” he shook his head, “There’s no way I’m going there like I’m a vulgar prostitute. I am-”

 

“Thomas Jefferson, I know, but soon that title will mean nothing.”

 

Hamilton got to sit on the bed too and took his hand. Thomas hated the way it felt just as safe and warm as Burr’s.

 

“Listen Thomas, what will your parents do when they find out there’s an Omega in their lineage? Who knows what might happen to you?”

 

“They’d never hurt me...” Thomas groaned.

 

Burr shook his head.

 

“Thomas… All Alex is saying is that Washington’s Omega House is the best in the country. He’s a good guy, and you said it yourself, he treats his Omegas well. That’s a blessing in this world, and you know that.”

 

“We’ll hide you in one of the Heat rooms,” Alex continued, “Customers aren’t allowed to go there. It’s meant for sick Omegas or those who don’t like being taken in heats. You’ll be safe, and no one will seek you there. Only Burr and I will know. They’ll just think you’re missing, and when the time is right we’ll get you out.”

 

Thomas trembled and shook his head.

 

“They’ll know it’s you. You’re the last ones to have seen me.”

 

“Not if you go on your own. Listen I’m gonna leave, so I can warn Washington and clean up your room. Meet with Burr tomorrow outside the hospital building. Make up a lie, say you’re feeling better. You can walk right?”

 

Thomas looked down, frowning in anxiety.

 

“I should be able to walk by myself tomorrow but-”

 

“Perfect! Meet with Burr and he’ll take you there, he knows the way.”

 

The Beta laid down and pressed a far gentler kiss on Thomas’ neck. He hated that Alex was so obviously taking pity on him. And he hated that the tenderness made his heart swell with gratitude.

Then Alexander nibbed Burr’s neck and jumped up.

 

“See you tomorrow guys! And don’t worry Tommy, we’ll get you out of this mess~~”

 

And just like that the human hurricane was gone.

And awkward silence settled between the two. Burr was still holding his hand, and Thomas gulped, snatching it away. He was slightly harsher than he intended, and he bit his lip seeing Burr looking away in pain.

They didn’t say a thing, didn’t look at each other.

 

All their lives they’ve had known their roles, the hierarchy between them. Aaron was the calm and sensible Beta, the one tiptoeing to respectfully kiss the Alpha’s neck. Thomas was the Alpha. He was the smug, rich heir of the Jefferson family. They were great beings, and they were destined to be the greatest.

 

And now it was all crashing around them into a dangerous game of uncertainties.

Was Thomas really going to become an Omega? How will people react? Will they know? What was an Omega House like? How was Thomas supposed to behave?

 

Was Burr supposed to kiss his neck or was Thomas supposed to do so? Who was the dominant here? Who were they if not an Alpha and his Adviser any more?

Betas had nothing against Omegas. On a biological level, they were protectors to them. Alphas were protective, but in a territorial way, except for the Omega they bonded with. Their ancestors would form packs, with usually one Beta. It was the Alpha’s job to mate, protect and feed them, and they had no time to waste with feelings, so one Omega was the limit of the affection they could have for them. There were exceptions of course, but they remained rare. Betas were meant to love and care for Omegas. They would make sure the Omegas were not sick, were happy and well fed, and sometimes stand up against their Alpha to protect them. And right now Burr’s instincts were already screaming that he had to protect Thomas with his life, especially in an Alpha ruled territory.

 

The door opened and a little blond nurse came in. She seemed so fragile, yet her pheromones couldn’t deceive anyone. She was an Alpha.

Thomas’ eyes had already widened in awe. Contrary to Betas, Omegas and Alphas couldn’t control their pheromones. Burr immediately slammed him into the bed, pulling the cover on top of him despite the Virginian’s weak protestations. He knew Thomas’ scent wouldn’t shift before days, but his own instincts were engraved in his blood.

 

The nurse seemed surprised.

 

“Is he okay?”

 

“Yes!” Burr smiled a bit too cheerfully, “He’s just tired you know… Can you pass by tomorrow?”

 

She frowned, sharp blue eyes scanning him. Burr was grateful he wasn’t branded to her. It would be hard to lie to his Alpha with such a glare.

 

“Very well, but sir, it’s almost the end of the visiting time. I’m gonna ask you to leave.”

 

Aaron’s blood rushed in his veins. He wasn’t leaving.

The Beta made his way towards the woman and leaned in to get next to her ear. She frowned slightly.

 

“You see my Alpha has been through rough times,” he whispered, “He missed his graduation ceremony, and it’s been a while he didn’t taste some good… _flesh_ I’d say.”

 

She rolled her eyes.

 

“I can’t allow a Beta to stay inside the Alpha wing, especially not for mating.”

 

“I know, I understand, but you need to listen. I’m his Adviser, and my poor friend hasn’t been able to brand me, nor has he received his first Omega. He’s in _dire_ need, you see...”

 

She sighed, obviously upset, but Burr could see her signal was getting slightly closer to Beta, the conciliating angle.

 

“I’ll lock the door and specify the patient needs no disturbance. Leave tomorrow, at the first hour.”

 

He thanked her, waited until the door was locked, then got back to the bed. Thomas’ head popped out of the sheets, visibly pissed.

 

“That was rude,” he mumbled.

 

“Sorry, but you were literally drooling. Would have been suspicious.”

 

“She’s an Alpha, and she’s hot. She could be my future wife,” he groaned back.

 

Burr sighed. Thomas was delusional. In the current situation, he wasn’t even close to be smiled at by an Alpha.

The Beta got to sit on the bed, and Thomas glared at him suspiciously.

 

“Move over. I’m staying the night.”

 

“What? No!”

 

“Come on this bed is gigantic, and it’s not the first time we’ve shared one.”

 

Thomas shot him a death glare.

 

“You’re dirty. Go and get changed.”

 

Burr sighed but obliged. There surely was a dressing room somewhere, it was a top hospital.

After a few minutes he came back in a white hospital pyjama, slithering his way inside the bed. Thomas was still grumbling, back to his face.

Aaron simply laid on his back, staring at the ceiling in silence. The last time they had shared a bed, he had barely had the time to change that Thomas had already stripped him. Here the fallen Alpha was curled at the very edge of the bed, silent.

It hurt more than it should, and Burr blamed his Beta nature for it. Would he be that upset had Thomas remained a full Alpha?

He analysed once more his friend’s triangle spectrum. It was stabilised right in the middle, at equal distance from all three angles. Burr had never seen a case of hormonal anomaly similar to this one before. He sighed, and suddenly the signal started moving, and he could clearly see it oscillate between Alpha and Omega, simply out of stress.

Thomas was now the most unstable being that Burr had ever seen. If he was to be discovered, he’d be shamed and taken to whatever laboratory to undergo dozens of exams.

 

He couldn’t let that happen. They had to follow Alex’s plan.

 

“I’ll leave tomorrow, at dawn, and I’ll wait for you outside the building at noon.”

 

Thomas nodded silently, not facing him. Burr’s eyes scanned him again, and his heart tightened as he could see his friend’s high level of stress had made him shift more towards the Omega side.

 

He got closer, discreetly emitting some soothing pheromones. Thomas shivered.

 

“Say Aaron...”

 

Burr froze, not daring to touch him.

 

“Yes Thomas?”

 

“Am I still your Alpha?”

 

The question startled him.

 

“Why yes… yes of course.”

 

“No like...”

 

He rolled over, facing him. His usual brown cocky eyes were soft like chocolate, shining in the dark room. Burr felt helpless facing his friend’s pain.

 

“Can I still brand you? Can you still legally and physically be my Adviser? And the Omegas… Can I still have an Omega?”

 

Burr was speechless, mouth gaping uselessly. What could he even say? An Omega branding a Beta or an Omega was impossible, only Alphas had branding pheromones. Legally speaking, Thomas won’t even be considered a free citizen any more if he’s registered as an Omega, so having an Adviser and a Pack was unthinkable.

 

“I… I don’t know Thomas… I… We’ll have more time to think and test things out at Washington’s Omega House tomo-”

 

“Can we try now?”

 

Once again Burr was caught off guard.

 

“Try what?”

 

“The Branding? Can I brand you?”

 

Aaron’s eyes widened slightly, and he looked away.

 

“L...look Thomas you… You’re hurt… And I’m not sure your hormones are-”

 

“I’m too “Omega” already, is that it?”

 

Burr shook his head, desperate to cheer his friend up.

 

“Your signal is fluctuating Thomas. There’s no way to say whether it’s definitive or not. You might be able to brand me later… Maybe the Omega House will help awaking your Alpha instincts again, you never kn-”

 

“Can I get pregnant?”

 

Burr glared at him.

 

“I’m sorry what?”

 

That’s when the other raised his head, and Burr noticed the tears streaming down his face. His heart broke.

 

“Can I get pregnant like Omegas? Will I get some heats? Will _…_ Will they hurt me and take me and… and will I be sold like a sex slave or… like a prostitute I… I...”

 

Burr was shaking, and he couldn’t help it any more. He pulled the other one into a tight hug, and there was no telling which one was trembling the hardest.

Thomas buried his nose in his neck, clawing his shirt.

 

“Oh Thomas… Thomas I swear we’ll protect you… You’ll be safe with us I promise… We’ll never let anyone hurt you...”

 

At this point he couldn’t hold back his pheromones, and they were pouring like waves. Thomas soon calmed down, still nuzzled safely against him.

 

Aaron patted his back weakly, shushing him tenderly. He would not rest until his dearest friend was safe with Alex and the others. He’ll make sure he was completely protected.

 

Suddenly a sharp pain flew through his neck. He gasped, as Thomas sucked hardly to mark the skin. Burr felt a sudden surge of Alpha pheromones flowing through him, and he shot a puzzled look at the taller man. Soon the Branding mark was completed, and Burr felt unspeakable respect and loyalty for his Alpha, mixing with the need to protect him. He doubted any Beta had ever been that conflicted in their life…

Jefferson didn’t look up, burying himself back in his neck.

 

“If I understood you well, I’m still mainly Alpha for now,” he breathed out, “I just branded you. You’re mine now, you’re my Adviser. I want you to take an oath of allegiance to me. You’ll stay by my side, serve and obey me until the end of times, no matter my shape or my secondary gender. Is that clear?”

 

Burr’s eyes shone as he could feel the slight oscillation of his friend’ signal towards the Alpha angle. Thomas was still weak, he could not sexually brand him, but it was alright. Branding a Beta didn’t require sexual intercourse, as the “ownership” was less pronounced, aimed towards trust and loyalty more than towards sexual slavery and submission.

However, this slight wave of strength was enough for Burr to stay hopeful.

 

Thomas was strong, no matter his hormonal system. If he was smart and brave enough, he’ll manage to use his new identities to get himself out of every situation. He’ll be able to fight, to stand up for himself, and he might even be able to brand an Omega.

No matter how the situation was going to evolve, Burr would be here.

 

“I pledge a blind allegiance to you, Thomas.”

 

And if he had to disappear along with him, then so be it.

 

 

 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Heyyyyy ~~
> 
> I have no chill, so I gave in to the impulsive desire to continue this story (despite a Hand on the Heart, which will probably take me some time to continue as I'm deep into Downfall now)
> 
> SO next chapter we'll meet some new characters (including baby Jaaaaames <3 ahem sorry --")
> 
> What do you think about my version of this AU so far? Is it explained clearly enough? Also English is not my first language so don't hesitate to tell me if there are any mistakes that bother you.
> 
> I'm open to all kind of criticism to get better :)  
> And I'll be delighted to read some opinions on the story so far ~~ I know it's kind of unusual to present Thomas and Aaron this way  
> To be honest I don't know what the endgame ships will be, apart from Laurens/Alexander/Lafayette/Mulligan.
> 
> I think there'll be more polyamorous ships, but expect some Jeffmads too ~~
> 
> Anyway see you later for the next chapter !


	3. The Omega House

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Thomas and Aaron discover the Omega House.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> TRIGGER WARNING: crude language/ mention of sex/ mention of underage sex/ mention of sex trafficking and slavery/ slight PTSD

Aaron woke up with the first morning rays. He had made sure to leave the blinds opened so he could get up at dawn.

He yawned and stretched, blinking to sharpen his blurry vision. He wasn't particularly a morning person... But who was apart from Alexander? If you considered the Beta ever slept at all…

 

Burr looked around, feeling a slight weight on his chest. It was warm, and rather hairy, so it didn't take him long to remember the events of the previous day.

God even thinking about it stressed him out... How did they even get into such a situation?

 

The Beta reached out for Thomas' head, gently petting the brown curls to soothe himself. He managed to sit up, earning a little groan from his Alpha.

 

He chuckled a bit, then his eyes darkened again.

His Alpha…

 

How did it happen? They were a Burr and a Jefferson, their lives were basically handed to them on a golden plate.

 

And now here they were, curled against each other in a luxurious hospital.

Thomas was a soon-to-be Omega, and his hormonal system was an unstable mess.

And now Burr was branded to a half Omega whose fluctuating pheromones made him feel conflicted between his protective Beta instincts and his Adviser obedience.

 

Aaron let out a soft sigh, still petting the other's hair. It was unusual to see Thomas so frail and soft. He wasn't the type to little spoon to be honest...

 

The Beta shook his head. He shouldn't think about the past any more. The Thomas he knew was long gone, and this new Thomas needed his help.

They'd make this work, and for now the main priority was to find shelter into Washington's Omega House.

 

Burr shifted to grab his phone, careful not to wake his "Alpha" up. He had received one single text at 3:09 AM, from Alex.

 

Of course, who else could be awake at three in the morning?

 

_Alex: Hey Aaron I forgot to tell you it's totally okay for you to bring Thomas in ;))) Just try and get in by the back door so that no one sees you, especially if you come into broad daylight. We don't know for sure when Thomas' new pheromones will kick in._

 

Burr quickly typed an answer.

 

_Aaron: We'll come in around 12:15. I don't think he's fully Omega yet, no one seems to have smelled his presence._

 

As expected from the caffeine powered man, the answer came almost before Aaron sent the text.

 

_Alex: Okay no pro, so yeah the back door seems like the best idea. I'll be waiting for you there with Tallmadge, we'll help you settle and you'll meet the big man when he comes home. He's been out of town for a few days now, family trip_

 

Aaron frowned, glaring at his screen. At this point, Thomas was drooling peacefully under the circular pats on his head. But who could blame him? It was five in the morning, no normal being should be awake.

 

_Aaron: Wait, your father isn't here? How did you tell him about our arrangement? By phone?_

 

_Alex: well..._

 

Burr was _this_ close to smack him. The bastard was lucky he wasn't in the same room.

 

_Aaron: Alex, tell me you've warned him about the richest Alpha heir newly turned into an Omega that's seeking refuge into his Omega House..._

 

_Alex: I was about to I swear but like the old man barely knows how to use a computer so a phone ! C’mon Burr you understand it was an extreme situation I had no choice you wouldn't have accepted otherwise :((_

 

Burr sighed and scratched Thomas' head gently, the Virginian moaning softly in his sleep.

 

_Aaron: Fine. I gotta go. Be at the back door at noon. We'll discuss the matter there._

 

_Alex: Awesome! See ya Burr ~ <3_

 

Aaron put the phone on the bedside table, carefully lifting Thomas' head to let it fall on the pillow. The young man buried his face into it, and Burr was glad to see he appeared to be in less pain than the day before. It was crucial for the plan, as Thomas needed to convince the doctors to let him out.

 

Burr bit his lips. God he hoped his friend wouldn't turn coy at the slightest opposition... 

 

He shook his head and got up, changing himself in the bathroom and quietly escaping the hospital. 

As expected, the door was locked, and he had to go through the window.

 

For Burr, who adored taking risks, this was an absolute bliss. Especially in the morning...

 

*****

 

Thomas woke up at eleven, as the medical staff decided he had slept enough. 

Jefferson would have protested, if talking back to an Alpha didn't create a lump in his throat.

 

"How do you feel today, mister Jefferson? Slept well?"

 

He gulped, barely able to hold the kind doctor's eyes. God he was so broad shouldered... He could crush him in a second...

 

"Yes, yes of course I'm perfect. I... I was wondering if I could get out..."

 

The man frowned, checking his files.

 

"But you've been admitted a few days ago, and you've awaken yesterday only. I wanted to keep you under observation for a bit longer."

 

Thomas clenched his fingers under the sheets to stop himself from giving in. He had promised Burr he'd get out, and he needed him close anyway.

 

"Sir I understand. But I'm feeling way better. I wish to leave, and I expect my command to be fulfilled."

 

Thank God he had been trained to speak as a high member of society.

The doctor could do nothing but comply, making him sign a derogation before exiting the room.

 

Once he left, Thomas let out a long sigh. His legs were shaking, and he was thankful for the sheets to cover it.

 

"Come on Thomas... It'll be twelve soon..." he mumbled to himself.

 

He managed to sit on the edge of his bed, and pushed on his arms to stand. The young man let out a pained grunt as the sharp dagger of burning ice flew through his spine again, making the world spin for a split second.

He was shaking, holding on to any chair he could find to crawl his way to the dressing room. Why does everything have to be so big when you're rich?

 

After much struggle and pain, he managed to get dressed, wearing a simple blue outfit. The soft material and absolute perfection of the clothes could do nothing but catch attention in the streets, but it was the most sober thing he could find in this elitist wardrobe.

He walked towards the door, groaning with every step. Each move hurt more than the precedent, and his sweaty face combined with the clothes and his weakened hips, he was slowly losing hope as to his incognito mission.

 

He got outside and God, even the corridors were white and shiny. But the worst was the staff. All Alphas, as Burr had told him.

It was a nightmare of pheromones, and he was sure the most blind Beta would see his hormonal system do a backflip.

 

The nurses politely smiled as he walked past them with his usual facade grin and energetic pace. Needless to say each step taken with such a straight posture was killing him, and only years of practice allowed him to hide his terror.

He thanked whatever God was in the sky for the current absence of smell his body emitted, and quickly found his way out.

 

It felt nice to be outside again. He had missed daylight.

Yet it'll be even more perfect if the streets weren't filled with Alphas and Betas.

He gulped, anguish taking over him. How did he get there? Cowering and fearing daylight... Avoiding those he was supposed to rule...

 

"Thomas!"

 

A familiar voice caught his attention, and relief cast above him like a shadow in the dangerous heat as he spotted Burr a few feet away.

The Beta was calmly waving at him, wearing simple brown pants with a blue jacket. He made his way towards Thomas, the other one barely speaking as he could do nothing but smile.

 

Burr had obviously noticed his stress, and made sure to emit some soothing pheromones as he approached.

To his surprise, Thomas collapsed in his arms as he reached out for him

 

"T-Thomas get up we'll get noticed..." he whispered hurriedly.

 

Jefferson nodded weakly, standing up with an exhausted smile.

 

"I'm sorry, it's just so hard to stand..."

 

"I understand..."

 

Burr smiled gently and put a hand behind his neck to pull Thomas closer, pressing a soft kiss to the pulsing neck.

Thomas closed his eyes in bliss, craving the reassuring tenderness.

 

"Let's go Thomas. The sooner we are there, the sooner we'll be able to help you."

 

It felt weird to hear someone saying they were going to help him. Thomas had never sought any real help. He had never had anyone tell him they understood his pain, but again maybe he hadn't felt real pain until he'd lost everything.

 

Still, he didn't complain nor argue, feeling oddly relieved. He was in too much pain to proudly point out he didn't need assistance, or to groan at Aaron for walking ahead of him.

 

The idea of being taken care of was somehow appealing. After all this stress, this pain, these changes, imagining himself in a place where he could be himself without fearing for his life seemed a blessing.

It might have only been a day, but for Thomas it was the very first day. It was all new, and it was terrifying.

 

Soon they arrived on one of the main streets in New York after Broadway. There, amongst all the glassy trendy buildings stood out one structure. A tall, large brown building, all made of bricks and which windows were tainted. It looked a bit like a fire department, but a bit more elegant. An old fashioned building, that is.

 

A sign indicated "Omega House", soberly written in white letters that stood out on the building. Loads of Alphas were already filing up in front of it, of any shape and size. It was the most famous Omega House in New York after all, Washington's glorious pride. 

 

The service was restricted to an elite, and only a handful of lucky Alphas were allowed a day, sometimes a few of Betas too. It was like a Broadway show: those who stood outside were hoping for a reservation to be cancelled, and most of them didn't even have the clothes to be accepted in.

 

Washington had only a few Omegas inside, and one Beta. But they were said to be the best in the United States, complying to every request for the right price, and acting like professional performers in every situation. Some even paid hundreds just for the privilege of kissing their hands.

 

Thomas watched the swarm of lustful Alphas, and his heart tightened in stress at the strong wave of pheromones. Thankfully, Aaron grabbed his hand and pulled him in a counter alley, a hand on his back to help him by pushing his hips. 

As soon as they were out of reach, Aaron allowed himself to release his pheromones, Thomas relaxing against him.

 

"We're there Thomas... You're almost safe..."

 

The taller man nodded, legs shaking out of pain.

They were standing in front of a small door, nicely ornamented with wood and iron.

Aaron checked the time then knocked. A few second later it opened on Hamilton's wide smile.

 

"You managed to come!"

 

Aaron sighed in relief, smiling weakly. He had waited in front of the hospital for hours, unable to rest.

It's funny but he had never noticed how stressful it was to have someone under his watch. Yet it was part of his training as an Adviser. But truth is you were never prepared to see your best friend and Alpha become the Omega to protect. And in such an environment, Burr had reasons to be stressed.

 

Alexander got to kiss-bite his neck, and he had never been this thankful for his Beta friend to be there. Having someone of your cast always helped share the burden, and it was easier to feel at ease with other Betas around.

He leaned in and gently kissed his neck, tasting the coffee scented skin. 

 

Then the young Caribbean tiptoed to press his lips against Thomas' neck, and the Virginian let out a little sigh of ease. The more Betas he had around, the safer he felt lately.

 

"Come on in!"

 

Alexander pulled them inside, shutting the door after them. It was warm and nice, and surprisingly enough it didn't smell like pheromones at all. The walls and ground were covered with red rugs, with some orange and black markings, and the absence of large windows required the use of yellowish lamps. All in all it looked very much like an old fashioned hotel, which matched the facade of the building.

The rugs attenuated the sounds of their steps as they walked through the corridors, and Thomas was pleased to see the rugs didn't smell like old dusty goods. They walked down some stairs, getting past a "Staff only" sign.

Alexander guided them through the cosy corridors until they reached a door that said "Forbidden Access". Burr frowned at the necessity to put two signs.

 

"That's the limited area, you'll be safe there, I told you about it."

 

He approached and stood in front of a little electronic device which scanned his eyes. The door made a little beep sound and opened, Hamilton pushing it.

 

"Come in!"

 

They obliged, only to discover the area wasn't much different from the rest of the corridors, except that it was a dead end. Only six doors, three on each side, one of which was open.

 

Hamilton grinned.

 

"So as I said this is an off perimeter area. Only Washington, Tallmadge and I can access it with the ocular scanner. There's some kind of doorbell and card system too, and you just have to press the room number for the inhabitant to be informed of your presence and choose to let you in or not."

 

He walked into the opened room, followed by the two others. It was rather small, with a double bed, a table and chairs, a TV and some books. Some door seemed to lead to the bathroom, where you could catch a glimpse of a shower. No windows, simply red walls, thankfully not of an aggressive shade.

 

Aaron closed the door as Alex sat on a chair. The others followed, sitting next to each other.

 

"Okay so," Alex started. "This is your room Thomas. Here's the key."

 

He gave him some kind of magnetic card.

 

"Don't lose it. It opens both the door to the area and this door. Though you might understand I strongly recommend you to stay inside this off-limit zone. We'll bring you food everyday of course, and you can call me with if there's a problem. There's a book with the building's essential numbers on the bedside table, near the phone. You can call Tallmadge, or even the kitchens if you need to."

 

He chuckled excitedly. Thomas was still looking around, slightly confused. This was a Heat Room, and all these hotel-like services were meant to be used by Omegas. This was such an odd concept…

 

"B-but what do I do if Omegas come in?"

 

"They can't without Tallmadge or Washington or me. If they ever need to come here, it's either cause they're in heat or sick, so we'll know about it. Don't worry all the rooms are soundproof and made to stop pheromones. We don't want to trigger any Heat waves."

 

Thomas nodded softly, and Burr looked at him protectively.

 

"Okay so let me tell you a bit more about this place before I let you settle..." Alex smiled. "So since you are kind of "disappearing” from the outside world, you didn't bring much stuff with you, and that's okay. The Omega House offers different services. There's a shopping area, a cinema, a restaurant, kitchens, bathrooms, and of course rooms. It's because we offer a wide range of services. Some Alphas and Betas even pay to simply pass some time with our Omegas."

 

Thomas frowned softly. Such an odd activity...

Alex shook his head.

 

"Right now you're in the Underground Level. As you've seen, it's reserved to staff, as it is the place where our Omegas' bedrooms are, along with the Nursery, in which we currently are. Usually you won't find any customers downstairs, so you can at the very maximum walk through this level. But the reason why there isn't a secure access code is that some of our regular customers or subscribers are allowed to pay some higher fees to spend the night in with an Omega on rare occasions. So stay careful..."

 

Thomas gulped. He didn't intend to wander through this place anyway, because seeing an Omega would be no better than seeing an Alpha. He didn't want to approach any.

 

Alex then turned to Burr, who raised a brow at him.

 

"Here's your key too. Don't lose it. You have full access to all the levels since you don't have to hide, so enjoy yourself."

 

Aaron' eyes widened and he shook his head.

 

"Wait... What do you mean my key?"

 

Alex raised a brow.

 

"Aren't you gonna stay with your Packmate?"

 

Thomas suddenly turned to him, big brown eyes scanning him with barely hidden anxiety.

 

Aaron gulped.

 

"I... I just... It's too much... Everything here is just... It doesn't feel right..."

 

He could feel Thomas tensing next to him, and he tried to soothe him as he could, staying close.

Alexander sighed.

 

"Listen Burr, Thomas needs you and you need him. If you get out there, people will start asking questions about him, and if you know anything about his disappearance. In here, it's close to a microcosm. There's everything you need, and there's this weird unspoken rule that what happens here stays here, even if no one is ashamed of coming to Omega Houses nowadays. Stay here, you guys are friends of mine, it's free for you. You're just taking one room, and only one of our Omegas is often sick, and barely two of them want to hide during their heats. I swear to God these old Alphas are ready to pay to take care of our sick Omegas, so you won't get lots of visitors..."

 

Burr gulped, and he could practically feel Thomas' hopeful gaze. He shook his head and smiled.

 

"Thank you Alexander, it means a lot."

 

Jefferson beamed, eyes screwed on the table to try and hide his obvious glee.

Alex chuckled.

 

"So there are some rules. No disturbing Washington into his office without knocking. Usually I'd say the same about Tallmadge but the guy is always "on the field", so better try to find him or call him. Of course no harassing the Omegas, and knock before entering their rooms. Also if you guys need "room service", you might have to deal with each other unless you find a way to pay back for it... Our Omegas can't work for free you see."

 

They nodded calmly. It wasn't in their plans for now anyway.

Alex seemed to think again, then blinked.

 

"Oh yes and of course no Branding them. If by any chance you still have some Alpha pheromones Thomas, we can't have you brand them you see. They are on Omega pills though, so there’s no risk of pregnancy. Again we’d be grateful if you and Aaron could take care of each others. At the very maximum, call me or Tallmadge." he added with a wink.

 

Thomas rolled his eyes and nodded softly, eyes dark.

Burr then turned to Alex.

 

"Aren't you living with Laf and Herc?"

 

The Caribbean man chuckled.

 

"Sort of. I miss my home and the Omegas, so I come here often. Plus I need to check on Tallmadge you see, we've got a lot of work here."

 

Burr nodded.

 

"How many Omegas do you have?"

 

"Eight. Four females and four males."

 

Thomas raised a brow.

 

"Only? Most Omega Houses have like a hundred of them..."

 

Alex grinned proudly.

 

"That's the price of decency and elite services my dear ~ They're top quality."

 

Thomas nodded, silent, as Burr smiled calmly.

 

"Tell Tallmadge I can help him anytime if he needs it. That way I won't feel like I'm a useless mouth to feed."

 

Plus Aaron was quite eager to work. He’d always dreamt of taking care of Thomas’ Pack. Maybe he’d be able to see the Omegas, who knows?

Alexander beamed.

 

"Really? Thanks I'll tell him. I've tried to find him all morning but I swear this guy doesn't stop working."

 

Burr glared at him for a long time, and Alex simply groaned.

 

"Stop it I can feel you're judging me."

 

"Not true."

 

Thomas cleared his throat softly, and the two Betas turned to him.

Thomas fiddled nervously with his sleeve.

 

"A-and me? What can... What can I do?"

 

Alex and Burr shared a nervous look before Hamilton chuckled tensely.

 

"Nothing at all. Just relax and wait for your body to settle."

 

"But I want to help too. I can't simply stay here and do nothing," he groaned.

 

Alexander stared at him then sighed.

 

"You're too Alpha to work for us and too Omega to work as a Beta. Plus your hips are still weak. You need to rest, and then we'll see."

 

Thomas looked away, eyes burning with shame. Burr gently took his hand, but didn't try to pity him, which he was thankful for.

 

"When will we meet your co-workers?"

 

Alexander beamed again.

 

"Tonight! It's Sunday, and we’re closed from six in the evening to nine in the morning, so that the Omegas can take a break. The rest of the week, they work from 9 am to 1 am. Well actually it really depends on their schedule cause you know we make sure they don’t work too hard, but yeah usually they’re really busy."

 

He got up, barely able to stand still.

 

"I'll show you guys around, and I'll introduce you to Tallmadge and some of our Omegas. You'll see it's gonna be amazing!"

 

Thomas gulped but said nothing. He wasn't sure he wanted to meet people. He was enough of a mess already.

Burr smiled and nodded, controlling his eagerness.

 

"It'll be nice, thank you Alex."

 

"My pleasure~ I'll leave you to rest now. I'll be back at 6:15 to start our tour."

 

He kissed loudly Burr's neck, the bald Beta exposing gently his throat to the electric battery. Then he reached out to nibble in his neck, and then Alexander got to Thomas.

Burr's eyes dimmed softly as Thomas naturally threw his head back, but he hid it. His friend was just getting used to his new instincts, even if it was hard to accept.

Alexander smiled softly and sucked on his neck a bit, earning a little moan from the Virginian, who raised his head to go and nuzzle against the other's throat. Hamilton was slightly taken aback, as Thomas had never showed any kind of mutual respect before, but soon enough he simply smiled and got to the door.

 

"See you guys ~"

 

And once again he was gone.

 

Thomas stayed silent, sat at the table. After a short while, Aaron got up, heading towards the bookshelf. His eyes roamed along the novels with barely hidden appetite, and he was about to take one when Thomas called him.

 

“Say Burr, why did you stay?”

 

The Beta frowned, turning to him. His heart tightened upon seeing his friend slumped on the table. His once proud stance was pitiful, and he seemed smaller than ever.

 

“What do you mean?” he chuckled nervously, avoiding his eyes by letting his own roam on the books again.

 

Thomas straightened up to look at him with grave, sorrowful eyes.

 

“Why did you accept Alex’s offer? Your life didn’t have to be ruined just because of me… There are… There are lots of _real_ Alphas you could have worked for...”

 

Burr’s eyes shone softly and he got back to sit at the table.

 

“Thomas I… They’re not you. We’ve been raised together I… I’ve never imagined a life where I was anything else but your Adviser...”

 

“But I’m not an Alpha any more!” he exclaimed with strong anguish in his voice. “I’m just… an odd mix. And now you’re stuck with me instead of having a good life. You should leave Aaron...”

 

Burr bit his lips. How could he tell him? How could he tell his dearest friend he was too “Omega” already for him to leave?

Aaron was branded to him, both as a Beta to his Alpha and a Beta to his Omega. He needed him as a protégé and a protector.

 

“But… But you wanted me to stay Thomas… You seemed so...” _Terrified_ was an insensitive term, “ _sad_ to see me leave.”

 

Aaron immediately felt Thomas’ spectrum oscillating towards the Alpha side as his muscles tensed.

 

“I wasn’t. You should have left, Aaron. You should leave. You don’t have to ruin your life for me.”

 

“B-But Thomas you branded me...”

 

He couldn’t leave him. He needed him. He needed his presence. And he had to protect him.

The other’s eyes dimmed, and he strongly shifted back to an Omega, to Burr’s dismay.

 

“I know I… I’m so sorry Aaron I just… It’s all so stressing and scary and… I’ve never been scared before...”

 

Burr smiled softly and got up. Thomas’ eyes were screwed on the ground, glimmering with what seemed to be the threat of tears.

He gently made his way to his knees, sitting on his lap to the fallen Alpha’ surprise. Aaron wasn’t heavy, but it was rare for him to initiate contact.

The Beta raised his chin softly, resting his forehead against his. Burr was emitting a small amount of pheromones, Thomas closing his eyes to steady his ragged breath.

 

“You don’t have to be sorry Thomas… It’s not your fault. I am here for you, and I’m glad to be so. We’ll find a way, and if we have to stay hidden for a while, then I’ll be by your side. This place is nice enough, and we have Alex, Tallmadge, Washington and the other Omegas.”

 

Thomas had tensed again, unconsciously clenching his hands around Burr’s hips. The Beta frowned seeing his friend shaking slightly, unresponsive to his pheromones.

 

“Thomas are you ok-”

 

“I don’t want to.”

 

Burr frowned again, raising back his chin. The Alpha was definitely on the verge of tears now, averting his eyes.

 

“Thomas...” he breathed out, drying the first droplets.

 

“I don’t want to see another Beta and immediately… immediately like him… as if he was my protector and I was weak… I… I don’t want to… to see an Alpha and cower… crave him… I don’t… don’t want to see an Omega… I don’t want to talk to them… I don’t wanna be taken as one of them...”

 

Burr’s heart tightened. He seemed so genuinely broken, and yet his fears and insecurities were mostly based on internalized discriminations.

 

“Thomas I… Maybe you don’t have to meet Washington just yet… And… I promise you… Not one Beta in this world is going to mean you the slightest harm… It’s… It’s in our genes… Look… Look at how nice Alex was to you..."  
  
The Virginian trembled, averting his eyes.  
  
"That's the issue Aaron... He's taking pity on me..."  
  
The Beta shook his head and wiped the remaining tears away.  
  
"Come on Thomas... It's normal for people to get worried about someone who's been hit by a truck... Plus he was nice ever before he noticed you were an Omega..."  
  
Thomas tensed, and Burr gulped at his mistake. This was awfully insensitive… He wasn’t even a full Omega yet, and there was no saying he would become one… Apart the strong main angle shift on his spectrum…

Burr cleared his throat. He had to change the subject.  
  
"I... and for the Omegas..." he said weakly, "you might... You might want to try and get along with them..."  
  
Thomas didn't answer, still pressing him close. The silence stretched, and Aaron could soon feel him calming down. He didn’t try to make the conversation continue.  
  
They stayed cuddled against each other for a while, Thomas making sure his Beta couldn't escape. Burr wasn't exactly sure whether or not the other was dozing off, but he had to admit on his account that the taller man was a warm enough pillow for a short nap.  
  
Soon Aaron was peacefully resting on him, and Thomas could feel himself a bit better about himself. He maintained the smaller man steadily, enjoying his protective role. God it felt like everything was escaping his control lately...  
  
He rested his head against Burr' shoulder, listening to his heartbeats. So that's where he was living now? Hidden in an Omega House, doomed to be taken in pity by both his friends and enemies?  
  
He didn't know this Tallmadge guy. Acting friendly with Alexander against his own will was enough of a shame as it was, so he really didn't need some random man to have an influence on him. Same for Washington. He didn't know the guy, but he could anticipate his own reaction. And it terrified him…  
  
Thomas pressed Burr tighter to reassure himself. Is it what Omegas felt like everyday? The thin line between pheromones and genuine liking? The feeling of being weak, manipulable, of having to cower and hope no one would take advantage of you?  
  
He felt his chest filling up with sorrow and fear, and he buried his face against Burr's neck. He was truly thankful his friend was there. At least he knew Aaron wouldn’t use him. He'd protect and care for him when he couldn’t do it himself.  
  
He had to face his new struggles alone. But at least he had Burr.

 

*****

 

Time flew by fast enough for Thomas to conclude he had fallen asleep against Aaron. It wasn't a surprise given how exhausted the two had been, and being curled against each other didn't help.

To be perfectly honest they were quite comfortable, with Aaron sat across his lap and Thomas pressing him close. The Beta had found a perfect spot to rest in his friend's neck, and the slow rhythm of the rushing blood had drifted him to sleep. As for Thomas, he was drooling, head nuzzled against the other side of Burr's neck.

Surely they could have slept for hours had they not been suddenly awaken by a loud door slamming open.

 

"I'M BACK-"

 

The cheerful Alexander stopped himself a bit too late. Thomas screeched, dropping Aaron to the floor to jump up in terror. Given the state of his hips, the sudden move made his head spin and he ended up slamming himself against the ground, or more precisely falling right on Aaron' stomach. The poor Beta groaned, eyes shot with blood yet too dead inside to actually put to execution the murder plan you could read on his face.

 

Hamilton gulped, chuckling nervously and scratching the back of his head.

 

"Heyyyy sorry ~ I didn't think you two would be asleep... You were rather cute I would add though..."

 

Thomas glared up, shooting him a death glare. Alexander immediately lost his teasing smile.

 

"Sorry..."

 

He approached and grabbed Thomas' hand, helping him up.

Jefferson was scanning him, trying to keep his chin up not to appear too coy. He truly didn't like the way Alexander was suddenly nice to him.

 

Burr was soon on his feet, glaring at Alexander.

 

"So what do we do?"

 

"Well it's 6:20," the other beamed, "time to introduce you to our baby dolls ~"

 

Thomas groaned, crossing his arms. He'd never understand how people could actually love their Omegas enough to give them pet names...

 

He could see Burr's eyes lighting up slightly in anticipation, and his heart sank a bit. His friend would be delighted to finally have Omegas to care about.

And Thomas would end up alone, unable to find his place.

 

The two Betas seemed to notice his sudden mood swing, and they both turned to him with unreadable expressions. Alexander cleared his throat, under Aaron's questioning look.

 

"Don't worry Tom, you'll be alright. I haven't told them who you were, and they didn't seem to recognize your name. You know with all the famous Alphas they see everyday, they couldn't care less about one more..."

 

Thomas nodded, trying to keep as distant a gaze as possible. It was Alex after all, not a friend...

 

The Beta sighed, trying to smile a bit softer, but it only made Thomas tense more. He hated it. He hated the pity.

 

"Listen Thomas, I'll introduce you guys to only a few of them, as most are already resting in their rooms or enjoying some free time around. I don't want to pressure you or anything, but they're very kind and smart, you'll get along with them easily I swear."

 

Thomas avoided his eyes even more, simply groaning as an answer. Burr watched him calmly, then got to Alexander.

 

"What about his scent?"

 

"I said he was a new one, an Omega I mean, but that he had some kind of genetic disease. You know with his hips and all I figured it'd be a good excuse to just say he was born like this."

 

Thomas shot him a cold glare.

 

"So they'll all think I'm a contagious moron..."

 

"No Thomas of course not! They're smart I told you, and really kind. Oh come on you two, follow me. Tallmadge is gonna wait for us."

 

Thomas was still unconvinced, and he didn't move until Aaron had passed the door.

Burr kept himself from pointing out the obvious submissive behaviour Thomas was showing by walking behind.

 

They walked past the off perimeter area to enter the main corridors of the Underground floor. Thomas was looking around frantically, irises narrowing in search of any figure. He had seen and met Omegas before, but this was a completely different situation.

 

Burr walked close to Alex, and the Caribbean man turned to him.

 

"We're gonna go upstairs so as not to disturb the Omegas already resting. I'll show you to the Dining Room, where they usually meet up on Sunday evenings, and then we'll give you a tour."

 

Aaron nodded, furtively sparing glances behind him to check on Thomas. The mutated Alpha appeared very much nervous, looking around curiously.

 

They walked up the stairs, only to end up on a floor with a similar structure of red velvet corridors.

 

"Follow me guys, this is the Rooms Floor. I don't have to explain what happens here."

 

Thomas gulped, quickly following him not to stay there too long. He didn't like any of it. At all. Yet he was forced to admit it was just as clean and odourless as the other floors.

 

"Why are the floors so big if you have so little Omegas?" Burr enquired curiously.

 

"It's proportionate to the building honestly, and it was designed as a hotel in the early nineteenth century. Plus we never know when new Omegas can be recruited. And hey, you haven't seen the other floors yet! This place is bigger than it seems."

 

The two newcomers were starting to feel genuinely curious, and they arrived on the second floor with wide wondering eyes.

 

A man was standing right in front of the stare case, arms crossed and visibly annoyed. He had sky blue eyes and long blond hair with reddish shades tied into a ponytail, which gave him a very eighteenth century look. Thomas couldn't help but stare at him. The blond man was slightly smaller than him, so at least he had that advantage to make up to his many insecurities.

 

"Hey Tallmadge ~" Alex grinned sheepishly. "Sorry we're late..."

 

The other guy rolled his eyes then sighed, visibly considering it was useless to stay mad any longer. Whoever knew Alex knew there was no changing him.

 

He turned his blue eyes towards the two others, and his gaze naturally softened. Burr smiled; he seemed like a gentle guy, and it wasn't just his Beta genes speaking.

 

"Welcome to our Omega House. I speak on behalf of Washington, as I am convinced he would say the same thing was he here to welcome you. When Alexander warned me about your possible arrival, I had no doubt at all he would accept with joy."

 

Burr glared at Alexander, who was staring at his feet as if they were the most utterly interesting piece of clothing on Earth. Okay so Tallmadge didn't know Washington wasn't aware of the plan. Nice.

 

The Beta didn't let anything appear and smiled back at the blondish guy.

 

"It's an honour to be here, and we'll never thank you enough for your hospitality. If I can do anything to help, let me know."

 

Tallmadge nodded, and Burr quickly approached to kiss the neck of their host. He tasted like trees, it felt sweet...

 

Then the Adviser in charge looked up at Thomas. The taller man shrunk onto himself and looked away, eyes shining with as much detachment as he could. Tallmadge approached, each step making him tense even more.

 

"I can't imagine what it must feel like for you, but let me assure you you'll be treated like a man of your rank, and we'll adapt ourselves to any fluctuation of your needs."

 

He let out some soothing pheromones as a token of sincerity, but it only filled Thomas' heart with more anguish as he felt himself tense down at the smell. Just like with Alex, he suddenly felt very safe around Tallmadge. He hated it. This is exactly why Omegas were pathetic. They were weak, and more manipulable than any living form on Earth.

And he was just like them now.

 

Tallmadge hesitated a bit, then opted to go for Thomas' neck, deciding it would be too much of a stress for the other to change his social greetings for now. Thomas shivered at the touch, but stayed still nonetheless. He hadn't been raised a rude guest after all...

 

Tallmadge took a step back, looking softly at the Virginian. It was true they'll give him time to adapt. Yet all three Betas were very much aware of the fact that sooner or later they'd have to teach Thomas how to behave as an Omega. Otherwise he'll have no chance to blend in or feel at his place...

 

Tallmadge then turned to Alexander, who immediately approached his friend.

 

"I think some of the Omegas are in the Dining Room right now. We should go there."

 

"Yes that's where we were headed. I saw the Schuylers leaving to rest with Maria though."

 

"They had a great deal of customers today. But after all maybe it's better if Thomas meets Angie once she is rested."

 

They both snickered, Alex playfully hitting his shoulder as they started walking across the second floor. Burr was delighted to see how close they were. Soon maybe, he'll be a member of the Pack. And hopefully Thomas will find support amongst his peers once he got used to his new identity. Aaron followed peacefully, enjoying the prospect. Thomas, on the contrary, was getting gloomier with each step they took towards his future "Packmates".

 

This second floor was much more modern, and looked like a huge mall. There were plants and shops, restaurant areas and advertisements.

Thomas and Burr were left speechless, looking around in shared awe.

 

Alexander noticed and grinned at them.

 

"This is the core of our building. We call it the Mall. From here you've got access to all kind of services, all very luxurious of course. Some shops are directly linked to other floors by stairs, like the cinema for example."

 

Thomas frowned at him.

 

"But what's all this about?"

 

"I told you Thomas, not everyone comes here to fuck. Some come as a simple couple activity, or to do some shopping. Most don't even rent Omegas! They pay for the overall service, not only for the basic one. That's why there's only one floor dedicated to the Mating Rooms."

 

"But isn't it dangerous? That many Alphas and Betas with Omegas roaming free?" he continued.

 

"No, we have lots of workers here, Betas and Alphas alike. People for the shops, the information points, guides, counsellors, and of course security guards. Tallmadge and I are like the head of staff, just under Washington. We are assigned to the Omegas and their well-being most specifically. So really, you guys can do anything here! It's perfectly safe!"

 

Burr's eyes were shining, as he was already imagining all the opportunities he could have as an Adviser here. Only a few Omegas, and lots of activities available. He'd be able to form real friendships and take care of each one of them specifically,

 

Tallmadge smiled kindly at him.

 

"I heard you wanted to help... What exactly do you seek as a job?"

 

Burr turned to him with a quite confused gaze, then flushed slightly and looked down.

 

"Well... I've always been more drawn towards the Advisory jobs... I like working with Omegas...."

 

Thomas' heart tightened. He was going to lose him. He wasn't enough for him.

 

Alex and Tallmadge smiled.

 

"Guess you'll be a part of our team then ~ Welcome aboard!" Alex cheered.

 

"We'll have to ask Washington first," Tallmadge reminded, "but I don't see any issue to oppose your integration."

 

Burr nodded softly, Alex tensing at the mention of his father and boss. Thomas was still walking behind in the wide shiny aisles, thoughtful.

There was no doubt at all Omegas weren't allowed to "work" in the shops. If he ever wanted to pay his debt by getting a job like Burr, there was only one possibility for him...

And it filled his heart with even more anguish.

He suddenly felt a slight wave of pheromones soothing his stress, and he recognized Aaron' scent immediately. The Beta was just in front of him, discreetly offering his hand. It made Thomas' eyes sting with tears.

 

He wanted to go home. He wanted to go to his room, take Burr with him and curl up against him until he felt safe enough to stand proud again.

His hips were still hurting, slightly less than before, but he felt completely blocked. It was as if he was suddenly old, complaining about rheumatism.

He hated it all.

 

However, he quickly caught the hand, letting out a weak sigh of relief as Burr pressed it tight.

 

Soon they approached a big shop with the inscription "Dining Room" on it. The black paint and ivory sculptures immediately indicated how fancy it was.

 

Alex turned to them with a giggle.

 

"The Omegas usually eat downstairs, on the Underground level, but on Sunday evenings they like to roam around and enjoy all the fancy things. Tallmadge and I are the only staff allowed inside the building during their evening off, so you've pretty much got the place for yourselves."

 

The two Betas in charge pushed the door open, and Thomas stopped walking out of stress. He didn't want to meet the Omegas. He didn't want to face any undeniable proof of his shift. What if he felt safe with them too? What if he didn't feel attracted to them? What if they were like him? What if he liked them?

 

Burr waited for him calmly, turning to smile at him and squeezing his hand to encourage his friend. Thomas stayed silent, and they acknowledged each other's feelings through their eyes. Thomas could see Burr's concern clearly, and how nervous he was too.

Somehow it helped him feel better, and he followed him inside.

 

"Kay guys, meet our new friends: Thomas Jefferson and Aaron Burr."

 

Thomas froze, analysing his surroundings. He could see three Omegas in there, all males as far as he could tell. They were all curled up on an expensive red sofa, in the middle of all the fancy tables. You had everything of a classy French restaurant in there: velvet, gold, crystal glasses on a wine-filled bar, even some mirrors and chandeliers.

The three Omegas all wore clothes of different styles and colours, obviously enjoying their time of freedom to dress as they wished.

Thomas shrank under their curious gazes, and he stayed close behind Burr. His Beta's eyes were glimmering, and soon his shield disappeared as Burr got to greet and introduce himself to each of them.

Thomas had no time to quiet the anguish in his heart at the abandon, as he unconsciously sought immediate reassurance. He then did something he never thought could happen: he got closer to Hamilton, bending a bit to get closer to his neck. That way he could hide behind the head of the smaller man and smell the reassuring pheromones at the same time. The Beta kindly produced some more of the soothing scent, sensible enough not to tease him.

 

Thomas was glaring at the three Omegas intensely, scanning their every gestures. In the end he was thankful Burr had initiated contact: that way they weren't staring at him any more. Though no animosity or evil seemed to radiate from their gazes, and as suspicious as Thomas was, there was no denying the fact that they seemed very kind indeed.

 

At this point Burr was sat in between them three, excitedly talking and introducing both himself and Thomas, without of course mentioning the "hidden details".

 

"So you're our new Advisor?" the youngest Omega asked with a shy voice, tilting his head to the side.

 

God Thomas wondered how they could do to be so coy without even realizing it, while each word he was saying too low made him burn with shame.

 

Burr beamed at the dark skinned boy, who seemed to be no more than nineteen.

 

"Yes, I'll be working with you from now on. Tell me, what's your name?"

 

"Eacker," he answered timidly, a shy smile appearing on his lips as he slowly got used to his new Beta, "George Eacker."

 

Burr nodded, smiling softly. Thomas was still glaring at them silently. He couldn't help but notice the absence of branding marks on their neck, just as Alex had told him. Surely it was to avoid putting off Alphas with a rival' scent. They could be so territorial...

 

"And how old are you?" enquired another one, crawling closer.

 

He seemed much more energetic, eyes burning with curiosity. A smaller one, a redhead, was hiding against him, looking at Burr with big nervous eyes. His taller friend was almost crawling over him to get closer to Aaron, yet given the absence of reaction amongst the other workers, it was surely a natural part of their relationship.

 

"I'm 20, I just graduated." Burr kindly answered, offering his neck for the Omega to smell and kiss.

 

His interlocutor nodded and gently sniffed his neck, then pressed the third one close to his chest as he continued to stare at Burr. The redhead complained softly, extending his neck to try and analyse Aaron' scent despite the arms holding him.

 

"I'm Charles Lee, and this is Samuel Seabury. I've been brought here at the same time as him, seven years ago."

 

Burr raised a brow, "Seven years? But you look so young..."

 

Tallmadge turned to him.

 

"It's because they are young," he explained. "Our Omegas are all roughly twenty. You see, Washington retired from his political career twenty years ago, and he decided he wanted to run an Omega house after the death of his wife, Martha. He hired me as I was fresh out of college, ten years ago, and we started buying young Omegas and raising them. Lee and Seabury arrived when they were thirteen, some seven years ago. Eacker arrived later, only three years ago, when he was fifteen."

 

Burr did the maths quickly in his head, then raised a brow "So Washington hired you and bought the building ten years ago, then bought Omegas and raised them from different ages, and on a several years span. However, the Omega House opened... Four years ago right?"

 

Alex beamed "Yes, at the sexual majority of our first Omega. We always wait until they are at least sixteen to make them start working. First, they need love and education, and the building itself required renovations at the time. Most of them are orphans you know, or saved from the black market. Their education is what makes the quality of our establishment actually. I basically grew up with them ~"

 

To accentuate his words, he got to hug Eacker, the smaller man gently biting his ear.

Aaron smiled at the endearing sight, even more eager to get to know the little family.

 

"And where are the others?" he enquired.

 

"The girls are downstairs, in their rooms," Tallmadge quickly answered. "We've got four of them, three of which are sisters."

 

Burr nodded softly, then turned his head towards Thomas. His heart tightened seeing him miserable and distant, but he knew he had to help him engage conversation. He wanted him to have a shot at happiness and fulfilment above everything else...

 

"Oh and by the way this is Thomas, he's my best friend. He cannot work for now as he's injured, but I brought him with me."

 

All three Omegas turned to Thomas simultaneously, and he almost had a heart attack.

He could feel the three Betas encouraging him with pheromones and kind looks, but he couldn't help the lump in his throat.

 

It was terrible. They were not like him, they were so submissive and soft. He could not be like them.

 

And yet his natural instincts craved contact with those of his cast, and he ended up approaching softly after emitting a soft gurgle of salutation. He was dripping with stress, and he was sure the Omegas could feel the Betas' desperate attempts at soothing him.

He sat right next to Burr and rested his head on his shoulders, feeling as small as he looked miserable. His heart was about to jump out of his chest, and he screwed his eyes on Burr's chest not to meet their gazes.

Aaron took his hand softly as the three Omegas crawled over curiously. Thomas had never noticed how close they were, and how they did not hesitate to step on Aaron's lap.

"Well behaved" Omegas would just shut up and stay put, but not these ones.

 

They were looking at Thomas with big round eyes, the shy Seabury staying close to Lee. Eacker tilted his head to the side.

 

"You look really nervous..." he pointed out.

 

Thomas was still numbly staring at his Betas' chest, completely glued to Aaron. His friend chuckled awkwardly, trying to excuse his behaviour.

 

"He's shy around strangers. He'll get used to you..."

 

The youngest one nodded softly. He sat back in the sofa, still looking at Thomas. There was nothing but sheer curiosity and softness in his eyes, not the slightest hint of disgust or disapproval. Jefferson tried to convince himself he was okay, that he could speak and smile and laugh. But it was all too hard, and he was completely petrified.

Suddenly he felt lips brushing against his neck, and Omega pheromones assaulted his nostrils. He yelped, Seabury jumping back in surprise at the reaction. Greetings were nothing very unusual after all...

Lee pressed him closer, completely lost too, as Eacker stared at Thomas in disbelief. The poor Omegas then looked at their Betas for help, confused as to what behaviour they should adopt.

 

Alex smiled kindly, not knowing what to say, as Tallmadge simply got to kiss Seabury's forehead to reassure him. The Omega closed his eyes and leaned in the touch, slightly trembling.

 

"We're counting on you to help him get used to the place. He'll be staying in the nursery with Aaron, in room 4, so you can see him there."

 

They nodded, and after a short while they ended up curling peacefully against the two new comers, one of them being much less excited by the prospect.

 

Tallmadge and Alex sat at a table near them, chatting calmly as the three Omegas were glued to their new packmates, silently analysing their scent and skin. Their touch and movements were slow and careful, trying their best not to scare Thomas again.

Burr was beaming, even more convinced of the absolute softness of heart of Omegas, while Jefferson felt his heart calming down slowly as he got used to the proximity.

 

As expected, Omegas didn't smell as obscenely appealing as they used to when he was a virgin Alpha. Yet there was no doubt at all these three were very kind, and indubitably attractive. Nothing surprising for the best Omega House of the continent...

 

Burr appeared to feel in heaven, pressing Thomas close to show him he was still there nevertheless. It was enough for the Virginian to tense down completely, now nuzzled peacefully in the crook of his neck.

 

Omegas were sweet, he had to admit it. But he would not befriend them. Tolerating was the furthest he could go.

 

Alexander smiled happily at them.

 

"I guess we'll continue the tour another day, or you'll discover new stuff yourself. You all look exhausted, and way too cute a sight for me to bother you."

 

Burr shot him an unconvinced glare, considering the asshole had already disturbed a "cute sight" earlier. As expected, Alexander ignored him.

Tallmadge then looked at Lee, looking up from some papers he had been filling for a few minutes now.

 

"Lee, do you know where James is?"

 

The Omega looked up and thought for a few seconds before shaking his head.

 

"I haven't seen him since the end of our shift. He's surely at the Library Coffee Shop. He's always there."

 

The Beta nodded. Burr yawned softly, pressing Thomas like a pillow at this point. He definitely overthought way too much for his own good lately...

 

"Who's James?"

 

Tallmadge grinned, a slight shimmer of pride in his eyes.

 

"He's our main attraction, the first Omega Washington took under his wing. He's a genius on many levels. Honestly you cannot find kinder, and I guess you could say he's the "dominant" of our Omega Pack. We all love him, the customers do too, and he's like everyone's little mom."

 

Thomas didn't even care at this point. James was just another name, just another weirdly scented fellow he would have to meet and put up with. He was exhausted. He just wanted to fall asleep on Burr' shoulder, but Lee and Seabury were curled against his back and there was no way he could sleep with them so close.

 

Burr nodded, pressing Thomas closer.

 

"I see, I'm eager to meet him."

 

"I'm gonna go and get him. If he's reading that means he's got some time to spare," Alex chuckled as he rushed out of the restaurant.

 

Tallmadge smiled at Burr, inclining his chin towards the bundle of Omegas against him.

 

"The Omegas like you Aaron. Once you get accepted by James, you'll be a complete part of our family."

 

Aaron nodded, excited at this thought. Despite the events of the last few days, he was suddenly gaining back hope into being part of a Pack, of having Omegas to take care of.

Thomas simply stayed silent, buried against Burr. Another Omega to be scanned by. Nice.

 

Soon enough the Caribbean man came back, followed by a little man, very small and dark. Burr had never seen such a pretty little thing, all soft and round with curly hair, big black eyes and plump lips. The small Omega was silently watching them, staying close to Alex.

 

Aaron had to admit he seemed very gentle, though the word "dominant" didn't seem to be applicable to this little man. He was very short, more than Alex, and stayed near his Beta in a rather nervous behaviour. If he was the group's "Alpha", then his body language was very deceiving.

 

"I'm James Madison," the little man said with a smooth voice, "I'm happy to meet you."

 

He didn't say much more, staring at them before taking a confused little glance at Alex as the silence stretched. The bearded man gently gestured towards the sofa with his chin, and James looked down nervously, taking small steps towards them.

 

At this point, Burr had already pledged his life to protecting this chubby little thing. He knew it wasn't very healthy to get attached to every Omega he saw, and his teachers often warned him about it, but he couldn't help it. He had always had high Betas instincts, and the simple thought of having a close relationship with his Packmates filled him with unrestrained joy. That was the only thing he couldn't control...

 

And now this adorably shy little being was sat against him, pressing a kiss to his neck. Burr was right about the beauty of his features, those lips were a delight. Obscene or not, there was no wondering why he was the star of the House.

 

The little man then looked at Thomas, tilting his head to the side, adorable eyes scanning him with an unreadable glimmer.

 

"Are you okay?"

 

Thomas shifted his position to look at him, still curled against Burr

His eyes met James', and he was forced to admit this Omega was cute. Funnily enough, he could feel safe around him, just like with a Beta. The little man didn't try to break his physical boundaries, and he could feel no trace of judgement or curiosity in his eyes.

He didn't feel like a zoo freak or a broken man under his gaze. James' tone was nothing but polite and genuine, and Thomas felt immediately better. It made him feel a bit more like himself, and less like the shattered mess he was, pitied by both Omegas and Betas.

 

Jefferson stared a few seconds more, then realized he hadn't answered. He let out a little "Yes", then flushed a bit at the crack in his voice.

 

Burr was delighted to see him speak to an Omega. Finally his friend was accepting contact. He took a delighted glance at his Beta friends, thrilled to see the effect of the said "dominant Omega" on his dearest Thomas.

 

Tallmadge shared a knowing look with Alex, the Caribbean man smirking proudly.

 

Of course the solution to Thomas' situation was James.

 

 

 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Sorry guys I couldn't post earlier !
> 
> So this chapter is slightly longer hehe hope you like it ;)
> 
> As usual, tell me if anything is unclear! Don't hesitate to drop opinions, critics or headcanons ~~ I love them
> 
> See ya ~~


	4. Loving (SMUT)

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Thomas is still clearly unstable, and Burr questions himself and his relationship with him.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> TRIGGER WARNING: slut shaming/ PTSD/ rape mentions/ SMUT SMUT SMUT

Aaron woke up in the morning, the same fluffy man he cared about nuzzled against his chest. His eyes fluttered open, and he took a quick glance at Thomas to check on him, but the taller man seemed peacefully asleep.  
He smiled to himself and pressed him close, inhaling the warm scent of his hair. He'd always loved his hair, and played with it each time they slept together. He tried to pull it one day, and honestly this was the closest he had ever been to death.  
Thing is usually Thomas was the big spoon, pulling him into a tight embrace after each sex session. Those days seemed long gone, the Virginian seeking out the reassuring warmth of Burr’s chest every time they were hugging or sleeping. Aaron even suspected he would rest against his chest while standing if he was a bit smaller.  
  
The Beta was unable to tell if he liked or not the obvious shift in Thomas' personality. He was aware his friend would probably keep some Alpha instincts, especially when he would have recovered and gotten used to his new conditions, yet no one could know if the arrogant bastard Thomas would be back.  
  
Not that Aaron didn't like his old friend Thomas' energetic and self confident personality. All the contrary actually, it was always fun and reassuring to have such a strong support, as Jefferson was often the one rooting for him and making him think and act outside the box. But this new Thomas was softer, and his newly acquired tolerance for Omegas filled Aaron with glee. He'd always been scared his friend would get too many Omegas, or make fun of him for liking them too much. Now his dear Jefferson was more patient and open to the possibility that Omegas were agreeable creatures, and Burr was starting to think this Omega House was Heaven on Earth.

 

He decided he needed to get up, no matter how warm and fluffy Thomas was. He had complete trust in his ability to free himself without disturbing his friend’s rest, and that factor only convinced him he could get up. Thomas was way too exhausted and adorable for him to dare wake him up anyway…

 

Aaron proceeded to escape with the success rate he had expected. Once up, he made sure his friend was fully covered by the blanket before getting to the bathroom. He took a shower, already burning with excitation.

 

Tallmadge and Alex had promised he could work with them, and the Caribbean man had told him to go to the Mall at 10 am. The Beta could not help imagining all the amazing people and activities he’d discover. Will he get to see the planning? Will he be able to see Omegas at work? Soon he’ll get the answer to these questions, and he almost tripped over his feet dressing up in excitement.

 

When he exited the bathroom, he quickly spotted Thomas on the bed, very much awake and pissed. That is, if the slight angry pout on his face was proof enough.  
  
"Where are you going?"

 

Aaron frowned, confused. Was that a childish tone Thomas was taking?

 

"Well... Out. I'm taking my key, I'll be back before noon."

 

"You're leaving me."

 

Burr blinked, scanning his friend's face. Thomas was obviously in a bad mood, judging by his pettiness.

 

"Well... Yes. I mean I'm just going to see Alex he's gonna show me around."

 

His watch indicated fifteen to ten; he really needed to go.

Yet Thomas suddenly got up, proudly standing in his purple pyjama.

 

"Oh good I'm going with you then."

 

There was something about the fake cheerfulness in his voice, about his arms crossed on his chest and the almost daring eyes that made Aaron understand Thomas wasn't just genuinely excited about visiting.

He looked at him carefully.

 

"Thomas the Omega House has opened, there are Alphas inside now."

 

As expected, Thomas tensed, eyes narrowing.

 

"So you're leaving, and I can't come."

 

He wasn't childish any more; he had proved a point, and Aaron had fallen right into his trap.

He gulped softly, his friend being now very close to Alpha on the triangle spectrum.

These fluctuating orientations were truly random and based on his emotions. It was a nightmare to understand any pattern, especially after only a day or two.

 

"Listen Thomas... I promise I'd work and help them, it's only natural I go. You'll be safe and cosy here, it's too dangerous if you follow-"

 

"You promised them, true. But don't try to tell me it's your moral duty that obliged you to propose your services."

 

His voice was bitter, and Aaron's eyes shone with hidden distress as he couldn't answer. Thomas was looking away, eyes dark and arms crossed.

 

Aaron finally shook his head.

 

"You're right Thomas, I wanted the job. You know I've always wanted to work with Omegas... That-"

 

"But I'm an Omega."

 

There, Burr could feel the slight pain in the declaration. He hadn't expected Thomas to be so blunt about his own condition, and he wondered what happened in his friend's mind for the past few days. If he had been more careful about him and his feelings maybe he’d have noticed any change...

 

"Thomas you are not an Omega."

 

"Yet."

 

Burr frowned at Jefferson's clear refusal to acknowledge the different nuances of his condition.

The Virginian was still completely averting his dark eyes.

 

"It's not that simple Thomas. You're fluctuating. Your scent and behaviour too, social or sexual alike. You might or might not settle. Let's not jump to conclusions."

 

"But what if I don't settle, uh? What if I settle as an Omega? I'll be stuck here, unable to follow you around?"

 

Burr shook his head, unable to hold Thomas' gaze as the other man had now turned back to him. The Alpha orientation was making it harder for the Advisor to stand up against his leader.

 

"Thomas, it's just that given your recent "disappearance", your wound, and the lack of information we have on this place, it's better if you-"

 

"Just admit it, you don’t want me to go cause I might shift back to an Omega and get taken like a little slut in the middle of the Mall."

 

Burr gulped, Thomas' voice turning into a growl as the man was now towering over him. Aaron's eyes were screwed on the ground, unable to speak or look up.

Jefferson was standing a bit stronger on his hips, yet the Beta could still see how spread his legs needed to be to allow him to keep his full balance.

 

"Say Aaron, you keep saying you care about my well-being and my health..."

 

His voice got huskier as he leaned in, brushing his lips against his ear. The touch sent a shiver down Burr' spine, and he gulped hardly.

 

"But maybe you're just jealous."

 

Aaron's eyes widened and he looked up, meeting Thomas' burning gaze. He gulped, smelling the intoxicating scent of the Alpha filling the room with lustful warmth. Burr knew Thomas well enough to know that he had always been someone with high Alpha instincts and physiology. He was now facing his friend in all his past glory, and he had almost forgotten how it "felt" like to be around him.

He shook his head and tried to appear confident.

 

"I... I'm not jealous Thomas. I'm concerned about you. You're unstable, and your hips are still weakened."

 

Thomas let out a low growl and Burr closed his mouth. God he was so thankful not to be an Omega right now... Smelling Thomas' pheromones was already terribly disorientating, so as "target-gender", it'd be unbearable...

 

Jefferson grazed his teeth against Aaron's jaw, the Beta raising his chin to expose more of his neck, eyes burning and breath hitching.

 

"Oh I can show you how strong my hips are, I assure you."

 

Burr gasped softly as he was slowly brought to the wall and pressed against it. Thomas slid a leg in between his thighs, gently stroking his crotch. The Beta let out a weak moan, Jefferson pressing his lips to the fading Branding mark.

 

"I think it's finally time I make you completely mine, Aaron."

 

Burr trembled, brain completely scrambled by the pheromones and the devilishly slow strokes against his pants. He was about to gasp out an answer when Thomas bit him hardly, right on the mark and thus barring it from fading.

Aaron let out a long moan, head thrown back as a violent jolt of electricity overflowed his neck.

 

"L-LoRd ThomAs ~ AaAh~~"

 

The other one smirked, eyes burning with a mix of desire and pain as he started rolling his hips against Burr, grinding their crotches together.

 

Aaron was struggling to breathe. His clothes seemed cold and restraining, he tried desperately to pull Thomas closer. The Alpha obliged, tearing his Beta' shirt apart as he continued to tease and suck on every sweet spot.

The attentions made Burr see stars, eyes clouded by rapture. Thomas was truly a sex god, and Aaron had enough experience to tell it wasn't just because he was an Alpha.

 

"Been a while I haven't tasted your wonderful body," the Virginian breathed out, slowly stripping his Beta off his clothes.

 

"Y-yes ~ True."

 

Thomas grinned cockily at the effect he had on his friend. He got to bite his neck again, grinding against the now fully uncovered member. Aaron cried out in bliss, Jefferson using that opportunity to slide two fingers inside his mouth.

 

The Beta took the cue, sucking avidly through muffled moans.

 

"Such a good little slut for me ~" Thomas praised, removing the fingers, now linked to Burr's lips by an obscene string of saliva.

 

Thomas carefully inserted a digit inside Burr, pleased to see his previous "work" had left the hole well stretched already.

He added a second one and started slowly fingering the smaller man, who squirmed and whined against the wall.

It was so cold and Thomas was so far. And it was so good lord ~

 

"T-Thomas oh god ~"

 

Jefferson grinned, crooking his fingers to hit the prostate. Burr jolted forward, Thomas slamming him back face to the wall in return. Aaron sobbed in pleasure, maintained by a dominating hand in between his shoulders.

Jefferson leaned in, pressing a kiss to the so desperately exposed neck.

 

"Shhhh ~ Good boys don't move around like that... Are you my good boy Aaron?"

 

"Yes! Yes please I'll be your good boy please!"

 

Thomas giggled and removed his fingers, still maintaining Burr in the humiliating obscene position. He needed to feel in complete power right now... And Burr was in too much pleasure to complain.

Jefferson removed his own clothes and soon lowered himself inside him, Aaron's legs shaking in complete rapture.

 

"OH MY GOD THOMAS YES~"

 

It ripped him apart in a deliciously burning way. The Alpha growled, beginning to pound inside him. He could feel the sharp pain in his hips, but the pleasure was too overwhelming for him to stop.

He grabbed Burr's hips, almost bruising the skin, maintaining his chest to his back.

 

"Yes that's good ~ you're so good Aaron come on moan for me~"

 

He didn't need to ask, Aaron being a moaning mess of tears and shiny eyes already.

 

"Hey Aaron what are you-"

 

Alex entered once again at the wrong moment, and once again he stared in disbelief, eyes wide.

Aaron barely noticed, letting out a long cry of pleasure and embarrassment at the same time. Thomas only grinned, glaring at Alex with a cocky smirk.

 

"I am keeping him a bit longer. Just wait outside."

 

Alexander flushed and growled, closing the door with a pissed monologue.

 

Thomas' hips were hurting more and more, and he had to start jacking Burr off to make sure he'd be able to finish.

This was the last straw for Aaron, who came in long moan of bliss, legs trembling from both the high and the hips ramming into him.

 

"THOMAAAS ~"

 

Soon Jefferson's hips stuttered and he came inside Burr with a low growl. He licked the wound on the neck, then pressed a kiss to his cheek and got to plop on the bed in two painful steps.

 

Aaron slumped to the floor, covered in sweat and semen, eyes wide and irises dilated.

Okay. Okay. Breathe. It’s just Thomas. It was not as if you had never done it with him. But geez had it been a while since Jefferson had been that _passionate_ about it…

 

The dishevelled Beta took a quick glance at his friend, who was breathing heavily on the bed. A soft whimper escaped him from time to time, and Aaron could already feel he had shifted back to his Omega side. Burr got up on trembling legs, dripping with obscene fluids as he stumbled towards the bed. Thomas had his two hands behind his back, seemingly holding his hips. The muscles of his neck were pulsing with each moan of pain he desperately tried to hold back, and his eyes were shut tight in anguish. The scowl on his distorted face made Aaron’s already racing heart tighten, and he ignored his own numb legs to go and cover his friend up in with the sheet.

 

“T-there… There Thomas you… You overdid yourself...”

 

The poor man let out a broken moan, barely able to look at Burr. Once he was sure Thomas wouldn’t try to move, Aaron got to grab some clothes and dressed up shakily. He couldn’t make Hamilton wait any longer, and yet he desperately wanted to stay near his friend.

He got back to Thomas’ side, getting a bit more confident in his steps as he was recovering.

 

“Try to stay in bed for the rest of the day Thomas, your hips need to rest.”

 

The Omega didn’t answer, slowly calming down and obviously drifting into sleep. Aaron wanted to curl up against him so badly, fall asleep on his warm chest and press him close to his heart until his tears were dry. But he knew he had to go.

 

He took a step away from the bed, but was stopped when a hand grabbed his wrist.

 

“Was I good?”

 

Aaron’s heart ached at the trembling little voice. A part of him would have preferred the question to be a mark of Thomas’ arrogance. But as he turned around, facing the poor mess of tears that was his once smug friend, he was forced to crack a weak smile.

 

“You were perfect Thomas.”

 

_And you’ll always be._

 

The Virginian smiled tiredly, shoulders shaken by weak sobs. Burr got to gently lay him down, stomach twisting as the poor man clung to him.

 

“You’ll come back…? You’ll come back for me right?”

 

He seemed desperate, eyes looking expectantly at Burr. As if he truly was to abandon him. As if that poor tortured soul really feared the loss of his dearest friend. Aaron gulped weakly, trying to stop his mind from overthinking. Did Thomas force himself to have sex with Burr to keep him close? Had he been in great pain through the whole act? Had he been afraid?

The Beta smiled as genuinely as he could, pressing a chaste kiss on the shaking man’s forehead.

 

“Yes Thomas. I’ll be back soon…” he breathed out.

 

The soft answer seemed to soothe Thomas’ anguish and he nodded, curling on the bed. Aaron looked a him a bit longer, mind racing as his friend fell asleep under his concerned eyes.

 

He’d protect this man until his dying breath.

 

Burr waited until his respiration was calm enough, then he exited the room.He closed the door quickly, resting his forehead against it as he let out a long sigh.

His heart was aching way too much, this was unbearable. He had to control himself. He couldn’t get in such a state just because an Omega-scented man was crying.

 

_Pull yourself together Aaron…_

 

"So Thomas uh~?"

 

Had Burr been a cat he wouldn't have been able to jump higher. He screeched and raised his leg in a defensive stance, Hamilton grinning at him smugly a breath away.

 

"W-w-what a-are you-"

 

"I've been waiting. I've seen you. Nice view, should have arched your back a lil’ more though. Would have made your ass perk up."

 

Burr's face flushed red and he shook his head, pushing Hamilton's chest. The other Beta continued to smirk, scanning his every move.

 

"Shut up and let's go..." he grumbled, walking away from the Nursery and heading towards the stairs.

 

He had no time to lose with Hamilton’s teases. He was enough of a mess already…

 

"Wait Aaron!"

 

Hamilton caught up with him in a few steps, ignoring Burr's clear indisposition to talk. The Beta was walking hands in his pockets, ignoring him. But if looking away from Alexander Hamilton was a thing, making him tune down was another.

The Beta glared at him from head to toes, then grinned solemnly as they walked away.

 

"So first of all I must say I'm impressed you can even walk."

 

Burr stopped dead in his track and shot him a cold glare. Alex raised his hands in a fake submissive gesture.

 

"Kidding! Aw come on cheer up Burr! At least your Alpha is not totally Omega ~"

 

Aaron rolled his eyes.

 

"I guess..."

 

Alex beamed, grabbing a bottle from his pocket and immediately spraying his friend's body.

Aaron growled and closed his eyes, waiting for Alex to finish covering him in Alpha Pheromones Suppressant. It was true he couldn't start working while smelling like an Omega freshly branded.

Alexander put the spray back in his pocket and grinned at him. The Beta was wearing a smart black suit, his hair tied into a neat ponytail.

 

"So, _fully branded Advisor_ , let's get you a suit ~"

 

Burr rolled his eyes and followed his word generator friend in the Underground's corridors. Of course, silence was not an option with Hamilton leading the way.

 

"I must say that looked pretty intense ~ Guess he still got some Alpha genes after all. And damn Burr, if I knew you were into hard piggy back sex ~ How was it? How many times did you come?"

 

The Betas had entered a Dressing Room, and Hamilton was now searching through various closets and drawers, grabbing pieces of clothes similar to his own.

Burr was leaning against the door, arms crossed, not even thinking about answering the questions. Honestly he had to admit his legs were this close to give up on him, but there was no way he was letting Alex know it. His mind was occupied by a much more worrying issue: he had to learn how to control himself in front of Thomas. Otherwise he’d never be able to help or protect him.

 

The Caribbean man finally looked up with a pouty face, a pile of clothes in his arms.

 

"You're not fair Aaron... Lafayette and Mulligan are vanilla tops, and John is the softest bottom on Earth... Your stories with Thomas are the only fun I can have...."

 

Burr rolled his eyes at the childish whines and grabbed the clothes. Alex moaned pitifully and followed him to the changing rooms, Aaron disappearing behind a curtain to dress up.

 

"There's nothing to say really. We have sex from time to time, that's all. Besides you should stop complaining, I've already gave Laf and Herc a shot and honestly they're great lovers."

 

"But Buuuuurrrr how can you say "that's all"? Geez I haven't moaned the way you did in months!"

 

"Not my problem Alex," Aaron simply answered, struggling to put his pants on. "If you got couple issues, talk to your Alphas. I haven't met one that could resist a good mindless fuck from time to time."

 

"God you’ve truly tried them only once," the other sighed loudly. "Look at you, having some loving yet gut-tearing sex and acting like I should go to some couple therapy or some shit..."

 

Aaron twitched and raised a brow, stopping in his movement.

 

"What do you mean "loving"? He literally pinned me against a wall and took me from behind."

 

"Yep, seen that. Yet I can assure you, it was passionate."

 

Burr rolled his eyes and continued dressing up. Loving ? Twas not a word he could apply to any sex session he'd had with Thomas. That man had always been a sex freak.

 

"Listen Alex, I think you need glasses. Thomas doesn't do "loving sex". The only thing that seems to tame him so far is his Omega form, and given the situation he doesn't seem like he's gonna ask to be taken anytime soon."

 

There was a short silence, and Burr assumed he had finally shut the great Alexander Hamilton's mouth. Then the other's voice reappeared, careful and slightly darker.

 

"You do realize he might have his heats someday, right?"

 

Aaron tensed slightly and opened the curtain. Alex glared at him uneasily. He gestured towards his suit and smiled awkwardly.

 

"Looks good on you."

 

"He's Alpha-born. He can't have heats."

 

Burr had been harsher than he'd thought. Thomas in heat was a sight he wouldn't mind witnessing without particularly enjoying the idea of him being taken more or less willingly to soothe his needs.

At this state, it'd break him.

 

Alex's eyes landed on the floor.

 

"I'm not saying he could get pregnant or anything. But his smell can shift to an Omega's, which means his pheromones are impacted. A hormonal conditions such as heats could happen."

 

Aaron gulped, looking away. He took a deep breath, trying to appear as calm as he could. He could not let this happen. So many things had troubled his life already, and his poor Thomas wouldn’t be able to handle much more. Even Burr himself was reaching his limits. He had to come to terms with a whole new hierarchy with his best friend already, and this morning’ sex wasn’t helping.

 

"Let's hope it won't happen. And if it does, we'll lock him into the Nursery." he quickly declared.

 

Alex looked slightly nervous, glaring at Burr with contained pity. If Thomas had his heats, it’d be much more complicated than just “locking him away”. And he knew Aaron wasn’t a total ignorant on the matter. Jefferson’s need would turn into great pain, and no Beta could soothe him. Plus, the longer an Omega in heat stayed untaken, the longer the heats would last. And Hamilton’s rushing mind was already exploring all the scenarios in which Thomas would turn crazy, or escape and create a Heatwave, or get himself into an even more sordid situation.

Alexander put a comforting hand on his friend’ shoulder. He wasn’t totally blind. He knew damn well why Aaron was so protective.

 

"Listen Aaron... I knew what I meant when I said you two looked "loving", but-"

 

Burr tensed and snatched his hand away, eyes darkening. Oh no that bastard wasn’t interfering in his already troubled mind. The Beta turned towards the door and walked away.

 

"Let's go Alex. We're gonna be late. Thomas is fine for now."

 

Alex gulped at the harsh tone, yet nodded and followed him. He didn't want to force Burr into talking about touchy subjects. Lots of things had happened, and more difficult times were to come.

Thomas' first heats, his adaptation, and...

 

"Oh and Alex. Why does it look like no one knows Washington hasn't been made aware of our settlement?"

 

That. That was also an incoming issue.

 

Burr had stopped in the stairs leading to the Mall, arms crossed.

Alex blinked, smiling nervously.

 

"W-well... It's not that no one knows-"

 

"It is. The Omegas don't know about Thomas and Tallmadge doesn't look like he's aware that Washington doesn't know."

 

Alex gulped and scratched the back of his head

 

"L-listen. I'll talk to Washington. He should be back tomorrow. I didn’t want to make Tallmadge hesitate you see… You guys needed a place to stay. And like... There is no way my father's gonna have any issue with you guys staying there, just..."

 

Alex stopped himself, but Aaron didn't let him get away. He climbed down a few stairs to stand just next to him. The buzzing activity of the Mall was masking their conversation, and no one could spot them there.

 

"Just, _what_ , Alex?"

 

Alexander gulped and grinned awkwardly. There came the hard part.

 

"This... This is surely not the right timing but oh well..."

 

He took a sharp breath and tried to crack a smile.

 

"M...maybe Washington will want Thomas... Y...you know... To.... _Earn his bread_?"

 

Burr's blood rushed to his head in anger and he grabbed Hamilton's collar. The poor man tried his best to stay positive.

 

"B-but I'll talk to him! I'll explain the situation I promise!"

 

Burr's eyes were burning. Thomas would not work here. Alex had promised. Jefferson was too fragile and new to this world, he couldn’t… He’ll… It’ll break him…

Of course he was aware Washington would want something in exchange for his generosity. Of course Thomas was meant to have to deal with his new sexual condition one day or another…

But it was… So sudden…

Aaron’s anger mask broke down like a glass and he let him go, looking away in anguish.

 

"He cannot work Alex. It'll be too much for him to handle. He cried himself to sleep in my arms thinking about it the other night..."

 

Alex gulped and looked down, silent. Of course he did. A blind man would have noticed the new Omega’s panic. But Hamilton had promised he’d find a way. More than that, he had promised he’ll protect them both.

The Beta grabbed Aaron's hand, his friend looking up weakly. Alex tried to let out a soft smile.

 

"We'll find a way Aaron. I promised we'll protect Thomas. I know Washington is not as much of a militant as I am, but he cares about his Omegas' well being."

 

Aaron tensed softly at the possessive marker "his". No, Thomas was not _Washington's_. He was _his_ Alpha. _His_ Thomas.

Alex noticed the slight tension in Burr's muscles, and a sheepish smirk appeared on his lips.

 

"Not loving, uh?"

 

Burr snapped out of his thoughts and glared at him.

 

"What?"

 

Hamilton chuckled and elbowed him playfully, trying to light up the mood.

 

"Seems like you care an awful lot about that big dork of yours ~"

 

Aaron flushed slightly, frowning defensively.

 

"Why of course I do. He's my Alpha, and as an Omega, he's under my protection."

 

Hamilton grinned. Aaron wished he could make him choke on that smirk of his.

 

"Aaaaaw ~ so cute ~ Am I allowed to write a fan fiction about you two?"

 

"Absolutely not." Aaron growled, walking past him to get to the main area. He could barely hear Hamilton's endless teases as blood was pulsing in his ears. Loving? With Thomas? That was stupid. They were best friends. Nothing more. All friends had sex with each other, and they weren't particularly loving. He'd had similar sex with Betas and Alphas without developing a crush on them.

 

His cheeks heated a bit more. A crush.

Ahah.

 

_Fuck._

 

"Ah! Burr! Hamilton! Here you are!"

 

Aaron was pulled away from his thoughts by Tallmadge's arrival. He was wearing the same black tuxedo, blond hair neatly tied down.

Alexander stopped teasing Aaron and beamed at his colleague.

 

"So what's the job today?"

 

"Security and coordination, mainly. Lee's in the Mating Rooms and some rich dude rented both Seabury and Eacker for lunchtime."

 

"And the others?" Aaron inquired.

 

"Wandering about, they're on break. They know where to go when their bracelets turn green. It means they've been rented."

 

Burr nodded softly, looking around. The Mall was already filling up with Betas and Alphas of all sizes and age, all wearing smart clothes. The House' staff was noticeable for their black suits, some working as janitors, guides and even sellers. The activity inside the building was impressive, like bees at work.

 

Tallmadge and Hamilton smiled, the former giving Burr some kind of smartphone-like device.

 

"Here, it's our main interface. We call it a MAP, Monitoring Application Phone. You can locate all the Omegas thanks to their bracelets, and you can access their vitals, ratings, and check if they got paid correctly. You can also call or text any worker, Alpha, Beta or Omega alike."

 

Burr's eyes were shining, screwed on the little device. He was truly a member of the Pack now. His insecurities had been blown away at this thought for an instant.

Hamilton grabbed his wrist, startling him. His eyes were shining with excitation.

 

"Let's go Aaron! There are so many things you must see!"

 

He didn't even get to answer, already pulled towards whatever store the electric pile had in mind. Guess he’d have time to worry about his personal issues later…

Now was the time to rejoice and discover his new home.

 

 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Shorter chapter, cause like the two last ones were waaaay too long lmao
> 
> So I was like, I need to write a lil smut, it's an Omega verse XD
> 
> Okay so this chapter sets out a new side of Aaron and Thomas' relationship, and we get to see Thomas being a "performant top" one last time (or not ;P)
> 
> I have a few little questions for you to help me a little bit with the writing. See this story is gonna be filled with random ideas gravitating around the main plot. So I'm open to all kind of suggestions (yours included, dear readers ;) )
> 
> \- Who do you want to see as villains? Should I introduce OCs as bad guys or Alphas (cause I need new Alphas lmao)?
> 
> \- Do you like Tallmadge? He's kind of not really an Hamilton character but I like him and I needed a Beta for Washington. And what about the other Omegas? Should I developp on them or leave them as minor characters? (The story is mainly around Thomas, Burr and soon James. I have ideas to developp the minor characters but as it is very open I'm not sure yet)
> 
> ALSO yes I'm gonna do a funny little thing in the notes: I propose you ask questions about the universe or directly about and to the characters, and I'll make them answer under the next chapter :D what do you think? Just ask them whatever you want. It could become a funny "Ask the characters/actors" thing XD (depends on how many people ask questions lmao)
> 
> Anyway ! Next chapter is gonna be more about Thomas and James ! And maybe a first little "problem" ;P no spoilers ~~ I'll see you then <3


	5. Omegas

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Thomas wakes up, and deals with different kinds of Omegas.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> TRIGGER WARNING: mention of sex/ PTSD / panic attack

 

Thomas had always hated doorbells. They were the one true thing he couldn't stand, for many reasons.

Firstly, they sounded very much like an alarm clock, and no one liked alarm clocks. Only psychos liked alarm clocks.

Then they were a great intrusion to a house's peaceful silence.

And finally it always looked like the person ringing the bell was basically calling their dogs.

So yeah. Thomas didn't like doorbells.

 

However as dramatic irony always strikes when no one expects it, the doorbell rang. And Jefferson's eyes shot open, mirroring his deepest murderous callings.

He sat up, groaning at the sharp pain in his back. Oh he truly had had one amazing idea, fucking Burr without warming up. His body was on fire, and his head was throbbing from the violent hormonal shifts. Truly he was in no condition to talk to anyone…

He still managed to get to his feet, approaching the little communication device. His hips were killing him, and he was naked, covered in sweat and dry semen.

But oh well. He'd told Burr he'd stay in bed, and that was what he intended to do. Just needed to make the ringing nuisances disappear.

 

He pushed a button and groaned.

 

"Who is it?"

 

Frankly any sensible being would have noticed how much the voice's owner was tired and unwelcoming. However, that was not the case of the interlocutor.

 

"Hey! You're Thomas right? Can we come in?"

 

Thomas blinked at the feminine voice. How do they even know his name? Stress tightened his heart, and he pushed another button to take a peak at who was standing in front of the Nursery.

There were four girls, all dressed in different types of tight clothing. He couldn't see them very well given the poor screen quality, but squinting his eyes allowed him to be at least 90% sure they were females.

 

"No. I'm resting. Who are you?" He finally groaned, failing to mention he was tired, naked, hurt, and covered in semen.

 

One of the girls whined. He frowned, more than pissed by the reaction, and glared at the figure who seemed to be wearing some bright yellow dress.

 

"Please Thomas! We were sleeping when Alex and Ben introduced you to the others yesterday."

 

So they were the four remaining Omegas. Nice. He didn't want to meet them. At all.

 

"I'm busy." He lied.

 

"You said you were resting," commented another one, arms crossed on her red outfit.

 

Thomas cursed under his breath and growled. This one. He hated her. Even more than whiny-yellow sunshine.

Saying he was in a "dominant" mood would be a lie, as all he wanted to do right now was curl up in his bed and complain about his legs. Bonus point if Aaron was there to take care of him.

His heart tightened a little bit at the thought that he was truly alone to face these harpies right now. Surely they would try to kiss his neck. Or worse, _befriend_ him.

 

"I don't want to see people right now. Go away."

 

Blunt, yet relatively efficient. The girls fell silent, and if Thomas could see the detail of their faces he could tell they were probably glaring at the camera. He didn’t care if he appeared as rude or unwelcoming, as long as he had peace. And as long as he made as little Omega friends as possible.

 

Finally, the annoying-smartass-woman groaned again.

 

"Don't be so rude! We're Pack mates. We just wanna meet you!"

 

He tensed. No they weren't _P_ _ack mates_. They were _everything_ but Pack mates.

 

"I don't. Goodbye."

 

"If you don't come out we're coming in."

 

Thomas was about to shut off the interface when he froze. They couldn't come in... Could they? Hamilton had said only Betas in charge had keys to this place, and he wouldn't lie to him. Or maybe Thomas simply didn't understand what he had said. Maybe the girls had a key. Maybe they could enter. What if they did? What if they came in right now?

He gulped and tried to snap back a witty comment, but his voice was too unsteady.

 

"Y...you can't. That's... Not polite."

 

"Well so are you. I have a spare key. Come out or we're entering."

 

Thomas gulped, eyes wide. He couldn't risk them invading the little privacy he had. Not when he was in this state, smelling like a big mix of his Alpha side, Burr’s love juices and his own current Omega pheromones.

 

"Alright alright I'm coming."

 

"Good."

 

The interface turned black again and he rushed towards the bathroom, quickly pouring multiple kinds of perfumes and sanitizers over himself. He didn't have time for a good shower. Then he grabbed some random clothes, barging out of the door.

He hated it all, and panic was already building up in his chest like a bubble about to explode.

His hips were so painful he wouldn't be surprised if they started squeaking. The man checked his clothing, a simple white shirt with grey plants, and decided that would have to do. Wasn’t going to try and make a good impression anyway..

 

The Virginian took a soft breath and opened the Nursery's door, stepping outside and closing it after himself to make sure the women could not enter it by surprise. Which was a bit useless considering they had a spare key, but he was too nervous to think straight.

Thomas came face to face with four magnificent creatures, drastically different from the men he had met the previous night. These women were truly beautiful, using clothes and make-up to enhance their wonderful features.

Thomas stared in slight awe, gulping weakly as he couldn't speak. Suddenly he felt smaller than ever, and shame rose to his cheeks as he realized he wasn't even able to stand up against Omegas.

 

The annoying lady turned out to be a magnificent black woman, wearing a tight choker and bright red skin tight shirt and pants. Nothing was left to imagination; you could practically see the curves. On her wrist stood a little beeping device, shining with a red light. On her face, purplish eyeshadow and lipstick, giving her a mysterious and almost threatening look.

 

"Hi ~ Why it's nice to see someone being _so glad_ about meeting co-workers," she smirked, brown eyes shining with malice. "I'm Angelica Schuyler, you can call me Angie."

 

Thomas grumbled something in return, avoiding her daring eyes. Truth was, he couldn’t even hold her gaze, and it annoyed him just as much as she did. He ended up taking a glance at two other women, who wore two very short cotton dresses, one blue and one yellow. He recognized the whiny one immediately, and was barely surprised to see the two girls had the same kind of bracelet and make-up, matching their own colours.

 

"These are my sisters, Peggy and Eliza." Angelica continued, the two others smiling kindly.

 

 _Whiny-Peggy_ beamed and got to kiss his neck promptly. Thomas tensed madly, stiffening and not even trying to look up at this point. His body was simply working against him.

 

"Aw Ben was right ~ You are a shy one ~"

 

Thomas blushed, arms crossed in an attempt to distance himself. He was not _s_ _hy_. They were just _annoying_ , and he was into a difficult social situation already. Tallmadge should know when to shut his mouth.

 

The last woman was staying very close to Angelica, wearing a very short and tight dress the same colour as the latter's outfit. The two women seemed like they were the boldest given their outfit, though this second one was much _quieter_.

 

"I'm Maria Reynolds," she said calmly, looking at him as if he was some kind of painting she could judge at ease.

 

At least she had the decency to stay away.

Thomas, who had been very grandiloquent since he came out, simply groaned a little salutation.

These women were Omegas, and given their make-up and outfits he could guess they were at work. He didn't want to have anything to do with them.

 

He was a bit reassured to see the four girls remained quite vigilant around him, Peggy being the only one who dared to greet him. He would have been thankful for it if he wasn’t already in a defensive state of mind.

The way they stared at him like he was a freak made him sick. He wanted Burr to come back and chase them away. He just wanted Burr.

 

"So how'd you get there?" Angelica went on smugly, "I heard you came in with a Beta. Is it true you guys are gonna work here?"

 

Thomas glared at her then back at the ground. No need to lie. He had to keep his cover up.

 

"Yes, we are."

 

Aaron was, at least. Thomas didn’t even want to try the job.

 

"But why aren't you working right now?" Peggy continued, laying on Eliza' shoulder.

 

Thomas stiffened and finally looked up, shooting her a cold glare.

 

"Why aren't you?"

 

She gulped, surprised. The four girls seemed a bit shocked by the vehemence in his tone, yet Maria answered for her calmly.

 

"We're on break for another ten minutes."

 

Thomas cursed internally. He couldn't last ten minutes with them. His hips hurt, and he felt like a zoo exhibition. Let's just apologize and go back to-

 

His eyes widened.

Uh oh.

 _The key_.

 

He had forgotten the key inside. Wow. Amazing. Impressive.

Now he was stuck with these intrusive little assholes, and there was no way he could simply roam around and find someone to give him a key.

God what if an Alpha found him? Oh he was so screwed...

He tried to appear as calm as possible, glaring at the Omegas. He couldn't ask Angelica for her key. He had been submissive enough for the rest of the conversation, or so he thought. His heart was racing already, imagining all the terrible things that could happen to him. What if someone found him and recognized him? What if an Alpha wanted to _rent_ him? What if he got hurt and what if they-

 

"So, Alexander told us you had a hormonal disease. I suppose this is why you can't work yet..." Eliza kindly smiled, trying to engage on a lighter subject.

 

Thomas tried to keep his calm, nodding tensely. Their faces were becoming blurry, and his own blood was pulsing, as if trying to escape his body.

 

"Yes." He croaked.

 

"But you'll work later, right?" Peggy tried to ask cheerfully, approaching way too close.

 

Thomas gulped. No. No he wouldn't.

Aaron wouldn't let him anyway. Aaron will be there anyway.

God she was so close… And Aaron was so far…

And why were they looking at him like he was some kind of hurt little animal? What if they knew about him? Or what if he looked like a pitiful Omega already?

 

"Y-yes… I guess...” he gulped, eyes fluttering around as he couldn’t even focus on neither the answers nor the questions any more.

 

He tried to imagine himself fro a split second, covered in glitters and eyeshadow, swaying his hips for a rich Alpha. His heart started racing a bit faster, and his hips suddenly hurt more and more. He needed to sit. And Aaron… Aaron wait come… come back…

Angelica frowned.

 

"You look very weird. Are you okay?"

 

"Yes... Yes... I am..."

 

He tried to find a way to change the conversation. A way to… Wait the… What were they talking about again? He needed to get back inside the Nursery… It was safe… safer…

But the keys… God why did she have keys?

 

"I... I thought only Tallmadge and Hamilton had keys…" he simply breathed out, eyes clouded by pain and confusion as his dry throat didn’t allow him to speak louder.

 

Angelica blinked and chuckled nervously. Thomas stared at her, as confused as a panicked man could look like. She seemed embarrassed. No… Mean… She seemed mean… She was a mean woman… He needed to get back inside…

It was so blurry, and white screens were already flashing before his eyes.

 

"Actually yes, only they have keys...” she explained, “I… kinda lied to get you out, sorry bout that. Hope you're not mad…"

 

Bang

 

All white and shiny in the black night.

Too much… Too much stress… Inside… Nursery… Please…

 

"See we just needed to see you. We were curious, we don't see new Omegas often."

 

Bang

 

Tires and hormonal shift and we'll protect you Thomas

 

Protect..? Where… Who?

 

Thomas could barely see the girls any more, their voices slowly muted by a mix of sounds and images.

 

"Seriously though are you okay? You look-"

 

Bang

 

Watch out and tires and red sign and black and white

 

"Thomas? Dude we're sorry you can get back inside now don't-"

 

Bang

 

Make-up and velvet corridors and flashes and bang

 

The sounds and images disappeared, all replaced by the cold burn of his hips. He could swear he was about to fall, and maybe he had fallen already. He wasn’t sure.

The only think he knew was that someone caught him and gently laid him down.

The figure was dark.

Aaron was there.

 

"Your bracelets are green, you should get back to work. I'm dealing with him."

 

Thomas was cold with sweat, slightly shaking as he saw the bright coloured figures of the four women disappear in the corridor. Safe… Safe at last…

He tried to get back to his senses, blinking softly. The black figure was reassuring. It always was. It was Aaron's colour, and of course Aaron had came to save him from the evil claws of these beings.

He’d bring him back inside, where it was all warm and safe… They’d take a shower, and Aaron would stay with him. He’d stay with him forever and they would curl up on the bed and sleep peacefully together.

It was going to be okay.

 

"They... Dragged me... Out.... She... Lied… I… It hurts… Aaron… Stay… Please..."

 

He couldn't see the figure clearly yet, could barely even register his own words, but he nonetheless tried to reach out for Burr's reassuring hands.

His friend took his, squeezing them gently. It was weird. Usually Aaron would hold them very tight to comfort him, but right now he was very soft and careful. As if he was fragile, as if holding too tight would hurt him…

It somehow brought peace to Thomas’ heart. Soon he stopped shaking, simply resting against the wall. His eyes were still closed, in a desperate attempt to escape the terrifying lightness.

God he felt so miserable, having a panic attack over some stupid uncomfortable situation...

 

Thankfully, Aaron had arrived just in time. As always.

 

"T...thank you... For coming back... Aaron..."

 

This time, the lack of response bothered him a little. Aaron was talkative when it came to reassure him. He would speak and soothe him, whispering gentle words in a voice soft like honey, and Thomas would almost doze off peacefully in his warm arms.

 

Yet Thomas was too exhausted and frightened to open his eyes. If Aaron had decided to be annoying, then fine, Jefferson would be stubborn too.

 

"Actually..."

 

Thomas froze. That was not Aaron's voice.

Burr's voice wasn't so smooth, low and careful. Burr didn’t sound so hesitant and shy.

 

"I... I think you might be mistaken..."

 

Jefferson's eyes shot open, only to land on James Madison's concerned face. For a split second, Thomas was filled with horror at the thought of his weakness. How could he get into such a situation in front of a complete stranger and an _Omega?_

 

Thomas stared at him, unable to speak. In his horror silence, he had plenty of time to understand why the little man was the House’s best Omega. There was no prettier sight in the world than this chubby doll, whose dark chocolate skin was contrasting with a snow white outfit. A tight immaculate shirt with an integrated choker was contouring the curves of his stomach and neck, and perfect chalky pants made his thick thighs and butt appear rounder. On his face, beautiful white arabesques drawn under his eyes gave him the appearance of a deity, and his plump lips were enhanced by the same shade of milk-coloured gloss. Everything, from his mascara and eyeliner to two ivory earrings was of snow-like perfection, creating a vision of ethereal beauty.

 

Thomas' mind was rushing, and he was gasping uselessly, trying to form correct sentences. One one side, he desperately wanted to clear things up, apologize and run away, while on the other he wanted to just stay and admire the little Omega.

James looked down coyly, kneeling a bit away from him to respect his personal space. Once again, Jefferson was amazed by the sheer submissive behaviour of Omega-born people. Geez, he was literally sweating and whimpering on the floor, how could James act so respectful?

 

"I'm sorry I didn't mean to deceive you...” the Omega said softly. “Also I wanted to apologize for my friends... They’re very kind, but also pretty intense, especially for someone who is in convalescence...."

 

His tone was gentle and understanding, and he seemed genuinely sorry.

Thomas glared at him a few seconds then cleared his throat. He had to show he wasn’t just a broken mess.

 

"I'm sorry too, I panicked. The pain in my hips got to my head, and with the stress it added up to...this..." He concluded.

 

Why did he even bother to apologize? Madison was an Omega. Nothing more.

James looked up with a kind smile, and Thomas looked away with a frustrated frown. He was acting way too friendly, and sending mixed signals to the chubby man… He had to make it clear they were not going to get along.

 

"It's alright. I understand." the little one smiled.

 

He didn't develop, simply letting the silence stretch. Thomas gulped, getting uneasy. Once again he was reminded how idiotic Omegas were. Not even able to keep a conversation going…

However, his previous panic attack had made Jefferson more tired than he though, and he unconsciously hugged his knees, looking away. James noticed and got up.

 

"I don't wanna impose myself any longer. You can go back to your room."

 

Thomas gulped and looked at him almost too nervously. He couldn’t stay alone. He didn’t have his key and there were Alphas just a few stairs above his head. No matter how bad he needed to put distance between James and himself, he needed him to stay.

Every part in his body told him he had nothing to fear from this man, and yet admitting his weakness to him seemed terrifying.

Though, considering the situation he was in, he had no choice.

 

"Actually I... I forgot my key... I..."

 

His eyes landed on the ground in shame. There went his pride, melting on the carpet.

 

"I'm locked out." he concluded.

 

James blinked, then immediately smiled. Thomas’ heart tensed at the sheer gentleness in his eyes. He could almost see Burr’s behaviour in the kind gaze, and his weakness to Beta conducts immediately made him feel safer around James. The “no friends rule” was gonna be harder to maintain if everyone was just becoming a Beta-like source of reassurance. God he truly hated his Omega side… In fact, he simply hated Omegas.

 

"Oh I see. I'm in break. I can stay with you a little bit." James proposed.

 

Thomas gulped, nodding weakly. Having James around seemed to be the safest option for him now. Even on the Underground floor, he just couldn't help feeling threatened by every shadow.

And with Burr away, he didn't want to be alone.

 

His heart tightened at this thought. He needed to be strong. For Aaron.

If James noticed the anguish and tension in his new friend's body, he didn't point it out. Somehow, Thomas felt better with him around. They simply stood there, sat on the ground a few feet away from each other.

 

Minutes went by, and Jefferson could think freely. About Aaron, about his new status, about his fears. Soon he had reviewed all of his present concerns, which didn't seem to evolve much lately. His hormonal pattern and prospect as an “Omega” were the top priorities of course.

The Virginian also had time to focus a little bit on James.

The Omega was sat across him like a toddler, taking as little place as possible. His eyes were closed, and Thomas could almost say he was cute if he didn't smell like a freshly taken Omega. The curvy man was bearing a slowly fading Alpha scent, and his skin was still glistening with traces of lust and random fluids. Surely he had taken a shower, or whatever the hell Omegas were supposed to do when they had multiple customers in a row. Thomas remembered there were some kind of sprays for quick Omega clean-ups, but honestly he had been sleeping in Civic Classes so…

In the end, it was simply obvious the little man had earned his break, and it made Thomas feel all the more uncomfortable.

 

Yet the little Omega’ silence and patience soon made him feel in control and safe enough to engage the conversation with James.

 

"So... You're the "dominant" Omega...uh?" He tried to ask calmly.

 

James' black eyes opened calmly, and he titled his head to the side with a genuinely confused smile.

 

"The "what"?"

 

Thomas blinked, then felt his face heating up with embarrassment. Wow, so smooth…

 

"I...I mean... Forget it..."

 

James nodded and closed his eyes again. Thomas was confused as to how he could respect his boundaries so perfectly, without looking either judgemental or curious.

He decided that maybe, maybe only, this little man could help him figure things out about his new condition. It seemed less scary to ask questions when there wasn’t this constant fear of shame and judgement.

Thomas glared at James a few more seconds, the little man having closed his eyes again. He seemed peaceful, so surely the taller man’s questions wouldn't make him suspicious...

 

"So how do you work...here?" he asked carefully.

 

The two black orbs reappeared again, the same gentle smile appearing on James' lips. Thomas gulped, looking slightly down. He hated that he acted so sheepish, but he couldn't even fight it...

There was something about this little man that made him unable to act properly...

James raised his arm, showing the same little device Angelica and the other girls were wearing. It was currently showing a red light.

 

"We all have these little bracelets, on which we can receive calls or update our status and such. It's linked to our Betas' MAP, their phones if you prefer. As you can see, mine is red, which means I'm on my fifteen minutes break between each client. Once it's over, the device will turn orange, until I'm rented again. Then the place where I'm supposed to go will appear in green writings."

 

Thomas blinked, eyes shining with contained interest. He had always been keen on new technologies, and he'd heard about these communication systems. Only the wealthiest Omega Houses could afford them, so it was no surprise Washington could provide his staff with them.

James noticed the curiosity in Thomas' eyes, and his smile grew fonder.

 

"You can take a closer look if you want..."

 

Jefferson was slightly taken aback, yet he quickly understood James wasn't going to approach. The Omega was still sat across the hallway, waiting for Thomas to choose what he felt safe enough to do...

The taller man sniffled and pushed on his arms to get up. The sharp pain in his recently abused hips barred him from standing, and he could only get on his knees. An embarrassed blush spread on his cheeks, but more or less surprisingly, James didn't mock him.

 

Thomas crawled his way towards James as he could, keeping a respectable distance between them. Madison simply held out his hand, which made Thomas blink confusedly. He simply stayed a bit away, glaring at it.

 

It was a hand. Really, just a hand. Slightly chubby, black like dark chocolate, and definitely small. Yet his heart was beating faster at the simple thought of touching it.

He had been greeted by Omegas before of course. But he had never actually "touched" one on his own free will, or with something else than disdain or lustful examination. Not that he enjoyed James' presence or treated him as an equal, but the proximity between them had nothing to do with a hierarchy establishment.

 

They were just two Omegas learning to know each other and adapting to their respective behaviours.

 

Thomas gulped and approached his hand nervously. At the last moment, he snatched it away away, eyes wide with stress, and contented himself with observing the little device.

 

"It's... Nice..." He commented, looking away.

 

James blinked softly at him, slightly confused, but smiled and nodded nonetheless.

 

"It is."

 

One again, the silence stretched, and Thomas' mind was racing with new questions and concerns.

 

"And how... How do you... Wash yourself?" he finally gulped.

 

At least now he'd be sure.

 

James smiled gently. This man was a ray of sunshine.

 

"We have an antibacterial and odourless spray to clean ourselves. It's quick and effective."

 

Ahah. _Knew it_.

 

Thomas felt a bit more confident, enough to hold the smaller man's gaze. James cocked an eyebrow at the sudden shift, smiling.

 

"You've never worked in an Omega House before, right?" James chuckled, a bit reassured to see his interlocutor finally loosening up.

Thomas felt his heart twitch, but if his eyes darkened, he kept a polite smile on his lips.

 

"No. I used to live with Aaron. It was only us."

 

James nodded, eyes lighting up with curiosity now.

 

"Together? How did you deal with your heats?"

 

Jefferson gulped and tried to smirk. Okay so that was where it was going…

 

"Aaron is... An amazing lover... And we lived in the countryside so we were alone..."

 

Nice lie. One little dissimilarity with Aaron' speech and they were screwed. _Perfect_.

James' eyes lit up with even more genuine kindness if physically possible.

 

"Amazing! It must have been incredible, living peacefully in the outside world for so long!"

 

Thomas frowned softly. Had James never lived outside? Then he remembered the Omega was the very first worker Washington had bought. Maybe he had been very young at that time?

Jefferson was about to let his curiosity get the best of him when James' bracelet turned orange and almost immediately green. He had almost forgotten he was talking to the most popular Omega in the House...

 

James looked slightly disappointed, glaring at his device, then smiled calmly.

 

"I have a customer. Customers actually, from what I read. It was nice talking to you..."

 

The little Omega got up and Thomas frowned.

 

"You can have multiple customers at a time?"

 

"Of course. We do almost everything here. Sometimes we work in pairs, sometimes more. And in some situations we have more than one customer. It's all written in the files on my bracelet. You'll see when you get one."

 

Thomas nodded, yet his eyes darkened.

When he gets one, uh...

 

James stretched softly, then smiled at him.

 

"Do you know when you’ll be able to start working?"

 

Thomas looked up again, slightly confused. He tried to crack a convincing smile.

 

"Well... I...no... I'll have to see with Aaron and the other Betas... You know the whole Omega House business, even the Alphas, it's all new to me..."

 

His lie was somehow beginning to make more sense, and he was proud of it. Now he had a story to explain his incompetence and stress.

As expected, James' reaction was nothing but genuine kindness.

 

"I see, take your time. You're lucky you came here."

 

Thomas' heart tightened. Sometimes he forgot how badly he could have been treated in any other establishment.

 

"I know..."

 

James chuckled.

 

"Don't make such a face. I'll ask Tallmadge and Hamilton if I can be your mentor. All Omegas need a tutor for their first weeks of work..."

 

The Omega then looked down, a bit more hesitant.

 

"If you wish of course..."

 

Thomas gulped. From all the Omegas he had seen, James seemed by far to be the kindest and less intolerable. Yet thinking about his future "job" was stressing him too much... He didn't want to work, no matter how amazing this Omega House was. He didn't want to...to _be_ an Omega.

 

"Um... Yeah... Yes I mean it... It'd be nice... Amazing... Thank you..." Thomas finally smiled.

 

James seemed a bit surprised by his hesitation, but he kept smiling nonetheless.

 

"I should really go now..."

 

Thomas' eyes widened as he realized the other was leaving. His heart skipped a beat at the thought of another "kind person" abandoning him again.

 

Burr was away, he was locked out. He couldn't stay alone.

 

The Virginian jumped to his feet, regretting his decision as he almost passed out from the pain. James gasped at the sudden movement, then stared confusedly at Jefferson as the other tried to grin, holding his hips. Despite his attempt at appearing relaxed, the taller man was shaking.

 

"C-can I come?"

 

James blinked.

 

"Come? With me? But-"

 

"Please."

 

He hated how his voice sounded weak and begging. But he could let him go. No matter his stress, his fear, or what might await him upstairs, he couldn't stay alone.

James must have understood it, because he didn't make further remark, simply checking the shiny watch.

 

"I know them, and they're just renting me for an hour long coffee date. That could work..."

 

Thomas couldn't refrain a relieved smile from creeping up his lips. James looked up, eyes softening at Thomas' expression.

He nonetheless quickly turned away.

 

"Follow me, we must get you ready, and I can't make them wait too long."

 

Thomas nodded, quickly catching up. Thankfully, his tall legs were no match for the Omega' short ones, and while James kept a steady pace Jefferson was in no pain at all keeping up with him.

 

Soon they arrived to a door called the Dressing Room, and James gestured him inside.

Thomas blinked, looking around at all the wardrobes. There were Beta Shelves and Omega Shelves, with different kind of colours and suits, surely for different trends or occasions.

James glared at him from head to toe, analytical. Thomas simply waited. In his mind, stress was already creeping back.

He was following an Omega. On his work field. A prostitute.

Thank god it was just a coffee appointment.

 

"Your shirt and pants are correct, you can keep them. Since you're just my... Let's say my "apprentice", you're not looking for clients anyway. Let me just get one of the suppressant sprays I told you about..."

 

He got to a little cupboard and tiptoed to grab the bottle. He came back to Thomas and covered him with the product.

The taller man inspected himself sceptically.

 

"You don't have a strong Omega scent, so this should do. Once we're done with this appointment, we'll find a Beta to open your door again. Since you're not officially my apprentice, I can't legally have you with me for too long."

 

Thomas nodded calmly. This suited him perfectly, especially if he could get to his room soon. Funnily enough, seeing James so professional and gentle, it made him understand why he was considered the "dominant" Omega.

Madison then beamed again and escaped the room.

 

"Come on now! They're waiting."

 

Thomas gasped and followed. God his blood was pulsing with stress. And yet it felt almost nice... He hadn't felt such a... "positive" rush of adrenaline in a while...

Was it what it was like to make progress?

 

Soon the duo climbed up the stairs, rushing through the Room Floor then getting up again to finally reach the Mall.

 

That's when it hit Thomas. Actually, that's when everything hit Thomas.

 

First, the light. Blinding, oppressing, but tolerable.

Then the noise, the people. So many people, and such an activity inside the main hall.

And finally the smell. Almost all Alphas, and most of them very much lustful.

Thomas turned a bit coyer, following Madison closely. The smallest man seemed perfectly at ease, swaying under the lustful gazes on his beautiful body.

It was true that in the light, the outfit contrasted even more impressively with his dark skin. He was breathtaking.

 

And surely Thomas would have been breath taken had he had any breath at all.

He was currently avoiding every eyes, trying to ignore the words, the comments.

His only beacon was James, and he was following him like a shadow. A few feet too far and he'd get attracted by every Alpha around.

 

James took a quick glance at him.

 

"Breath and relax. I know it's new, but you'll get used to it."

 

Thomas nodded weakly, throat dry. He decided to keep his eyes screwed on the ground, which was the safest option as every Alpha looked hot and appealing right now.

God he hoped he'd be able to stay put for an hour in front of several Alphas.

His Beta friends had told him not to leave the restricted area, and there he was. Nice job Thomas.

 

James finally took his hand and pulled him slightly faster, which made his hips hurt a bit.

Though he couldn't care less about the pain right now: James had taken his hand. An Omega. Was. _Touching_. Him.

 

He had to admit it felt soft, really soft indeed. And the touch was gentle, steady, but as light as a feather. Thomas decided this was good news, meaning he still enjoyed Omega contacts.

Still, he was too hazy to notice they had entered the famous Dining Room. James quickly asked for the whereabouts of his clients, and dragged Thomas towards a back room. It seemed more private, with several small walls allowing the customers to eat in room-like enclosed spaces. Surely they had other purposes..

 

At this point, Thomas' brain was too screwed by all the information and pheromones to notice what the hell was happening.

In a matter of seconds, he was sat at a fancy table, James getting right next to him.

 

Jefferson's eyes literally stayed stuck on the expensive cutlery, barely seeing it or hearing anything.

He somehow grasped James' apologies for arriving so late, and the short presentation he made of Thomas.

He also heard the mediocre explanation his _friend_ gave about the name Thomas Jefferson, saying Washington had called him about the famous Alpha as a joke.

 

What he also heard, or as a matter of fact didn't hear, was that no answer came from the customers.

Thomas managed to look to his side, grasping James' figure, and his slight confusion as he exchanged glares between the opposite of the table and Thomas.

 

"Is something the matter?" James asked the customers again, Thomas still confusedly glaring at the little Omega.

 

This time though, the lack of answer achieved to make Jefferson's clouded mind react, and he finally looked at the guests.

 

His jaw dropped, and honestly, given their wide eyes and frozen position, Lafayette and Mulligan looked no better...

 

 

 

 

 

 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I have like no chill concerning this fanfic... WOw XD  
> Don't get used to this rhythm of updates, I'm a queen at procrastination... Let's hope my writing spree lasts XD
> 
> So I asked you guys ideas for the fic and some actually answered, a big thanks to them :)
> 
> I just want to quickly sum things up:  
> \- This story is Aaron/Thomas/James centric. So yeah, I can't change that. Hamilton is kinda important too, but yeah that's mainly these bois. It may evolve, with other characters getting some spotlight, but don't get your hopes up.  
> \- The Schuylers and Maria won't be all that important, they will help with the plot of course, but none will get an impressive storyline or backstory, sorry :s Also yeah, maybe I'll include James Reynolds, but his relationship with Maria will be minor. No Abused!Maria arc. I'm sorry about this, but I also need to keep the story cool for me to write XD it's really just a leisure writing so if I wanna keep enjoying this I can't focus on characters I'm less fond about (though Maria will get a lil screentime from time to time no worries)  
> \- Also to all my Turn fans out there (I see ya and I love ya), this story is mainly about Hamilton the Musical. Though you gave me some ideas ;) so stay tuned, some Alphas and Villains may pop up (shhhh no spoilers aghgdhsdgjz)
> 
>  
> 
> Here ! I just wanted to make this clear! Of course, if you have further ideas and headcanons, I'm always happy to hear about them! This story is so open lmao it's literally not planned at all. I'm going with the flow XD
> 
> The Ask The Characters is still open for those who want to have some fun ;) 
> 
> I look forward to hear your comments and critiques on this chapter, and your ideas and "requests" of course! Really I just love talking with you guys (those who commented already know that I answer pretty damn fast. I just love talking about your interpretations and such.)  
> Say, how do you like this plot twist lmao ? 
> 
> Anyway ! Bye bye guys see you ~~


	6. New elements

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Thomas' cover is compromised.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> TRIGGER WARNING: PTSD/ Panic attack/ mention of rape

Thomas had always been very self confident. Never self doubting, never thinking twice. Honestly that's why Aaron had had to look after him every single day of his life. He just needed him for any kind of sensible thinking process, while being the god of self-confidence...

 

And yet, for the first time in his life, Jefferson was convinced that he was a complete and absolute idiot. Really.

Literally everyone had told him to stay on the Underground floor. _Everyone_ had told him to hide and wait until he had “disappeared” from every kind of front page.

But no, Thomas had not listened. In fact, he had begged James, an Omega, to let him accompany him on his work field, in a place full of Alphas, most of which knew Thomas' face like their own. Especially since newspapers had shown a single front cover for days now:

 

**Thomas Jefferson, richest Alpha heir in the country, has disappeared.**

 

So yeah, that was one great move. Even greater given that James' clients were none other than one of Thomas' best friends and his husband.

 

Things were going very well indeed.

 

The silence stretched for a few more seconds, during which Thomas, Mulligan and Lafayette simply stared at each other. Their emotions were hard to describe, between awkwardness and sheer confusion. Indeed they had not expected to meet each other in _such_ a place, under _such_ conditions. After all the couple was happily married and in a relationship with an Omega and a Beta, while Thomas was kind of… _supposed to be missing_.

James' curious eyes were fluttering from his co-worker to his customers, oblivious to the tension in the room. Everyone was apparently waiting for the right moment to speak.

Then Mulligan just gave up.

 

"What the fuck?"

 

It literally sent an electric wave through Thomas' brain, panic overwhelming him. Lafayette and Mulligan were here. In this room. With him. And James. An Omega. Yes. No. Ah. Shit.

Lafayette seemed to live a similar out-of-body experience, looking like he had eaten some kind of coma-inducing jellyfish. His husband’s ever so confused frown indicated he was in no better state.

James blinked then finally glared at Jefferson, smiling innocently.

 

"Do you guys know each other?"

 

"No!" Thomas snapped back, voice cracking.

 

"Yes!" the two others answered at the same time.

 

Thomas' heart did a backflip and he looked at his friends with desperate eyes. Hercules was just glaring at him in the most lost way, Lafayette apparently having an existential crisis in front of them.

James frowned, and Thomas quickly smiled at him. God, time to put those lying skills to practice...

 

"I mean yes, I met them. Once. In the countryside. They visited the town and Burr and I talked to them. It was a long time ago..."

 

He then turned back to the Alphas with the "please roll with it" look, James seemingly deep in thoughts. Then the little Omega appeared satisfied by the explanation, beaming.

 

"Oh I see! Funny coincidence..."

 

He didn't say much more, quickly getting up to sit in between Lafayette and Mulligan, kissing their necks.

They let him do, smiling awkwardly. Frankly, they didn't seem to know what to say. They hadn't seen Thomas since the day before his accident, and a few days later the Alpha had literally vanished. Though the weird scent of their friend quickly lead them to understand their silence was much required...

They'd ask questions later.

 

Thomas was still sat across the table, eyes screwed nervously on the ground. God he felt miserable. For the first time in his life, he didn't feel at ease with two of his best friends...The way they were glaring at him turned him on just as much as it stressed him out. His body was craving contact and his mind feared it.

 

After a few seconds, he noticed James glaring at him almost eagerly. Thomas managed to look up with a confused frown. The Omega's eyes widened in a communicative way, slowly indicating the two Alphas with a slight chin movement.

Thomas tensed. Oh he knew damn well what James meant... He hadn't greeted the Alphas, which was terribly rude, especially coming from an Omega...

 

He got up shakily. It was not the first time he'd kissed their necks. They were older than him, he had had to show his respect countless times. Yet the situation was completely different, for his friends' smell had never been that attractive before.

The newly-turned Omega softly made his way to Mulligan' side, who hesitated before tilting his head back.

Thomas could see the confused glimmer in his eyes, and the tension in his lips as he refrained himself from asking questions. Jefferson was grateful for it, but he was less pleased with the strong, pulsing muscles of his neck. Seriously had Mulligan always been so hot?

 

Thomas gulped, clearing his mind and closing his eyes. He leaned forward and pressed a shy kiss to the throbbing throat, shivering at the appealing scent. James tensed down softly seeing his "apprentice" deliver a proper greeting.

Thomas quickly escaped his friend' scent, relishing in the distance. Then he screwed his eyes on the ground and made his way to the other side of the table, getting to Lafayette. His pulse was rushing, and he could see the Frenchman's worried eyes on him. Was that pity in his gaze? Why did everyone seemed to think he was such a weak being?

 

Thomas nonetheless sat calmly next to him, pressing a quick kiss to his neck. Lafayette barely moved. A million questions hanged from his lips, and yet Thomas could see he was lacking words to express himself. He gulped, trying to get up. He didn't want to face that pity... Didn't wanna hear the weak words of concern and confusion...

Thomas moved to escape, but Lafayette took his hand softly. The Virginian gulped, freezing at the sensation. The silence stretched for a few seconds, his friend looking even more at loss for words as he knew Thomas would soon escape his grasp. But what could he say? Why do you smell like an Omega Thomas? Why are you working in an Omega House Thomas? Where have you been Thomas?

Jefferson felt his heart twitching, torn between his need for reassurance, his fear, and his broken pride. He finally gave up and hid in his friend's neck, enjoying the scent and the protection offered by the mass of neatly tied hair. That way he could let the few tears on the verge of his eyes escape, soothed by the agreeable warmth.

Lafayette gulped and gently pressed him closer, sharing a concerned glance with Mulligan. Their Thomas was definitely not doing well...

 

Madison looked at his pack mate with confused eyes. He knew Alpha pheromones were attractive, but he'd expected his coy friend to be a bit more reluctant to approach...

Though, the reaction filled him with genuine pride and happiness, and he nuzzled against Hercules' neck. His Thomas was doing so well ~~

 

"As I said, Thomas is new to the Omega House business, but as you can see, he's making progress with Alphas."

 

Thomas was thankful James didn't develop on his "illness". This little man was definitely sensible when in came to conversations...

The two other men gulped, slowly understanding a bit more about the situation. Lafayette couldn't help hugging Thomas close to his heart, the Omega simply staying against his neck. Somehow the smell was so strong and appealing it made him numb. Aroused, true, but still numb. If he just stayed there, he'll be able to wait until it was time to leave. Just wait there until everyone disappeared and he was safe again.

 

James then smiled at his customers.

 

"So what can I do for you?"

 

Hercules gulped and cleared his throat. They had too many new troubles on their mind to think about the Omega they rented now...

 

"W-well we just came here to have a coffee with you and maybe see Alex... So..."

 

James beamed and kissed his cheek.

 

"Sweet~ I haven't seen you in a while! How is John doing?"

 

"Fine," Lafayette smiled weakly, "He's just gotten off his heats, so we left him to rest at home. But say I... I didn't know you guys were looking for new Omegas...?"

 

If his voice wasn't very assured, James took no notice.

 

"We aren't, but Thomas and his Beta Aaron are friends of Alex. I imagine it's only naturally they support each other to find work..."

 

The two Alphas' eyes lit up, and Lafayette's embrace tightened. They were slowly making links in their heads, understanding parts of the situation...

Thomas felt his heart swell with stress and sorrow at the pity he could feel in the gesture, simply staying nuzzled against him.

 

"So...Burr is here?" Hercules inquired lowly.

 

James beamed and nodded, curling peacefully in between his customers. Obviously, their relationship wasn't sexual, or at least not any more.

Mulligan looked at Lafayette, who nodded calmly. The tailor pressed a kiss to James' forehead, smiling gently.

 

"Say sweet thing, can you call Aaron? It's been a while we haven’t seen him, I'd be very glad to say hi... And tell him we're super happy to see Thomas is doing well."

 

That was a key sentence. That way, Burr knew they were aware about Thomas.

Jefferson tensed, but said nothing. He truly didn't want Aaron to come in and see him just like.... Here. In that position.

But his instincts couldn't help but scream in joy at the simple mention of Aaron's arrival. He wanted him to come and get him, to have him close. He just missed him so much, and it was all so terrifying...

James titled his head to the side, adorable black eyes shining with slight confusion.

 

"Oh sure... Let me check if they gave him a MAP."

 

He quickly looked at his watch, finger quickly sliding on it, while Mulligan gently stroke his hair. Lafayette was still rocking Thomas, smiling weakly at his husband as to reassure the two of them.

James suddenly beamed.

 

"Got him ~"

 

He quickly typed something, before getting to curl on Hercules' lap.

 

"Done ~" he cooed.

 

Hercules smiled and kissed his neck, pressing him close with strong arms.

 

"Good boy James..."

 

The Omega purred at the praise, nuzzling against his customer. His bracelet vibrated softly, and he took a glance at it.

 

"He's coming right away apparently..."

 

Thomas stiffened, and Lafayette nodded tensely.

 

"Good," he breathed out.

 

They waited in silence, Lafayette keeping Thomas on his lap. It somehow felt safer, but it was unclear who for... As for James, he was simply enjoying Hercules' occasional kisses...

Thomas was practically sure Aaron was going to rush to him, and he was proven right when someone knocked on the door in a matter of minutes.

 

"Enter." Mulligan answered.

 

The door flew open, revealing Aaron and Alexander, eyes wide and chest slightly heaving.

 

Yup, they had run.

 

Honestly the sight was quite comical. The two Betas looked at Thomas in utter horror and panic, while Mulligan and Lafayette wore tensed smiles on their lips, eyes screaming with internal confusion.

 

And in the middle of that uneasy tension stood James, beaming gently at his Betas, with the purest expression in the world.

 

"Hi ~ You came quickly."

 

Alexander managed to crack a soft smile at the little Omega, while Burr was still deadpanning, eyes screwed on Thomas' curled up figure.

 

Oh he couldn't believe it...

 

Alexander cleared his throat.

 

"James, honey, could you leave us alone for a second? We need to talk with Laf and Herc..."

 

James frowned, looking sceptically at him.

 

"But they paid-"

 

"It's alright Jemmy, we'll see you later... Truth is we needed to talk with Alexander you see..." Lafayette gently offered, leaning in to press a kiss to the Omega's cheek.

 

James frowned confusedly, but got up anyway.

 

"Okay then, it was nice seeing you..." he smiled, as if unable to stay troubled more than a second.

 

The little man pressed a quick kiss to Hamilton's tensed throat and Burr's unresponsive neck, then escaped the room calmly.

Lafayette and Mulligan watched him go and close the door with fond eyes, then turned their attention back to the Betas. Their gaze turned slightly darker, more serious now.

Alexander and Aaron sat on the opposite bench, silent. Burr was still glaring at Thomas, who didn't even dare moving. He was too ashamed to look at them in the eyes. And most of all, he didn't want to face his dear Aaron's disappointment...

After a few seconds, Alex beamed awkwardly.

 

"Sooo ~ You...met Thomas, uh?"

 

" _Met_ is a strong word..." Hercules groaned, crossing his arms.

 

The Beta gulped, noticing with desperate eyes that Aaron wasn't going to help. In fact, Aaron was lost in deep thoughts right now, glaring at his friend. His expression was unreadable.

 

"Right... Let me just explain, it'll be clearer..."

 

Lafayette nodded, holding Thomas.

 

" _Oui_ please."

 

"So, you guys know Thomas got into hum... An accident, right? And then disappeared?"

 

Lafayette sighed, slightly annoyed.

 

"Yes, he's kind of making the headlines. You know I was dead worried about him!"

 

Alexander stopped himself from chuckling at the memory of Lafayette having an existential crisis on the floor. This was a serious situation.

 

"Yes I know darling I know... I just hum... Yeah... So basically the shock injured his hips, but also like... His hormonal system..."

 

Hercules frowned.

 

"What?"

 

"Well... He's fluctuating between Omega and Alpha now... So... We're hiding him as a genetically diseased Omega... That's why he was supposed to stay downstairs and hide as a matter of fact." the Beta added, insisting on the last sentence and glaring at Thomas.

 

The Omega didn't even react. At this point he was trying to see if he could disappear against Laf' skin by wishing very hard he was a chameleon. So far, it was unsuccessful.

Lafayette's eyes filled with concern.

 

"Oh lord I... This is terrible…"

 

He held Thomas tighter.

 

"I'm so sorry Thomas... I'm so sorry we fought and... Oh Lord..."

 

A lump tightened the Virginian's throat, but he stayed silent.

 

"What was he doing with James then? What did Washington say?" Hercules groaned, trying to understand what the hell was going on.

 

Alex gulped.

 

"Well hum… I’m handling the situation with my father...”

 

Mulligan glared at him, and Hamilton chose to ignore the absolutely unconvinced glance he was throwing him.

 

“As for his presence with James..."

 

His eyes landed on Thomas. He was the only one to know.

Jefferson gulped, conscious it was his cue. He knew he had to face his two Betas, the two men who had tried their best to protect him for the past few days, and those whose trust and efforts he had betrayed. The fact that they'd be mad, disappointed and pitying made it harder to turn around.

He took a deep breath, gently getting away from Lafayette's enthralling scent. Slowly, careful not to hurt his hips, Jefferson managed to shift his position, practically sat on his friend's lap now. His eyes were screwed on the ground, and he tried to ignore the encouraging glances of his friends.

Truth was, the tension was too overwhelming for him to feel safe, despite the four others looking nothing but sympathizing.

He took a weak breath.

 

"I forgot my keys..."

 

His voice sounded so fragile it hurt. Lafayette couldn't help pressing him tighter, Hercules approaching to hold his husband softly.

 

"Oh Thomas... It’s okay Thomas I just... I'm so happy you're safe... I'm so happy you're here..."

 

He seemed genuinely glad, judging by the relieved sobs in his voice. Surely the Frenchman had been worried sick. Thomas managed to crack a weak smile at him, the couple looking at him tenderly.

Alex then sighed, looking slightly disappointed. Aaron was still unreadable, glaring at his friend.

 

"We'll have to get you a bracelet too so you can reach us... But geez Thomas I said you were safe down there, why did you follow James?"

 

The Omega looked away shamefully. For once, he'd have wanted Alex to be softer. He'd have wanted his Betas to help and comfort him. Hercules and Lafayette smelled terribly good and appealing, but Alex and Aaron were no matches for them. Thomas felt his heart twitching in anguish as he realized he craved their support and pheromones... He simply needed their soft arms, he needed his Betas. He just wasn't ready to be an Alpha-seeking Omega yet... He first required reassurance, deep and loving bonds...

 

And right now Alexander's annoyed eyes were burning his skin, and Aaron's empty gaze was just making him want to scream and cry... Oh god please Aaron stop it...

 

"I...." The words burned. He was a breath away from having his whole world collapsing. "I panicked."

 

There was a short silence, during which Thomas couldn't make any eye contact. His heart tightened in a way that left no place for air. The kind of emptiness that allowed someone's word to either save or kill you... And he waited, unable to breathe, like a shattered glass who'd break if you even grazed it.

 

And then two soft arms embraced him, slowly replacing Lafayette's appealing smell by a soft and reassuring scent.

 

"It's alright Thomas, we'll find a way."

 

Burr's voice was low and gentle, and it made Thomas' heart ache harder. Aaron seemed so scared too despite his calm voice, so scared to see him hurt and getting in awful situations.

 

It all broke down and Thomas collapsed in his arms, clawing his back to press him closer. He muffled his loud sobs into Burr's neck, shaking madly in his Beta's lap. Aaron' heart hurt, as he pressed him as tight as he could, flooding the little room with as much pheromones as he could. His friend's tears were burning his shoulders, each wail took his breath away and tore him apart.

 

"It's okay Thomas... I'm here... I'm here now..."

 

He even wondered how his voice could stay so strong when his whole world was on the brink of destruction. His Thomas, his sassy Alpha was breaking apart in his arms, and he wasn't even sure he had strong enough shoulders to carry his own sorrow and Jefferson's.

 

The Beta shook slightly, seeking some kind of reassurance around him. Lafayette had crawled onto Mulligan's lap, both Alphas clinging to each other with a mix of sadness and relief. Thomas was an Omega, Thomas was scared, but Thomas was safe. And somehow it was all they needed, cause they could see their younger friend had a great support system. Caring Betas, an advanced Omega House, gentle co-workers, and of course, themselves. Now that they were aware of his whereabouts, they'd visit him often.

 

Burr locked eyes with Alexander, seeking the support of his cast mate. He would never be able to carry Thomas' burden without him. The other Beta seemed remorseful, regretting his angry behaviour. He gently crawled his way towards Burr, kissing his cheek as a form of apology to the Beta for having frightened his Omega. Then he gently wrapped his arm around the crying man, both Betas trapping him in a cocoon of pheromones and warmth. It took everything within Aaron's mind not to pepper the wet cheeks with kisses....

 

"I...I... I'm sorry..." the Omega whimpered, unloading his pain and shame. "I... I didn't want... But... They... They wanted me out... And I... The keys... I... I wanted them to leave... I swear... I swear..."

 

"Shhh Thomas breathe," Alexander gently smiled. "Who?"

 

"The girls..."

 

His voice sounded like loud crack.

 

"They... Angelica... The others... M...Maria... They... They lied... I panicked... I... I was rude to them... They tried to help... But... I wanted... I'm sorry... I wanted to stay inside..."

 

Hamilton gulped, sharing a sorry looking with Aaron. He gently replaced a wick of hair behind Thomas' ear. The poor man's breath was slowly steadying, head still rested against Burr's chest.

 

"I'm sorry Thomas... I should have warned them you were tired..." Alexander breathed out. "I'm sorry I got mad at you..."

 

Thomas let out a weak moan, pressing Alex closer so as to be able to nuzzle against both his Betas. The Caribbean man seemed slightly surprised but let him do, resting his head against Aaron' shoulder.

The bald man's eyes were dark. This crisis was the worst so far, for Thomas hadn't broken down in the privacy of their room. The Omega shift had reached its peak, his friend not even being able to feel ashamed for his behaviour...

 

Lafayette and Mulligan got up, smiling weakly at the little ball of men. The Betas looked at them weakly.

 

"We will leave you, I think you all need to rest and think..." Hercules said softly, sad eyes offering a gentle support.

 

"We'll come back with John someday maybe, so that you have some visit..." Lafayette added. "Alex usually makes us pass by the back door so we can bring him with us..."

 

Thomas barely answered, nodding weakly at them.

 

"T-thank you... I... I was glad to see you..." He said weakly.

 

Blatant lie, as it had been nothing but a great deal of stress and tears. Yet now that he had managed to talk to his friends, he'll be able to see them more often. It could only get better. Hopefully...

Lafayette then smiled weakly at Alex.

 

"Should we be waiting for you for dinner, sugar?"

 

Alexander shook his head weakly, giving his partner a tender smile.

 

"No I... I will probably finish late... I have some... New issues to deal with..."

 

Lafayette nodded softly, getting to him. He pressed a gentle kiss to his lips, Hamilton reaching for his shirt to keep him close a little longer. The Frenchman then rubbed his nose against his, eyes shining with hidden concern as he stood up.

 

"See you tomorrow night then..."

 

"See ya honey..."

 

The couple smiled at their partner one last time. Mulligan quickly grabbed his husband’s hand, squeezing it to reassure him. Lafayette gulped and waved softly, both Alphas disappearing outside.

The three men stayed curled against each others for a little while, enjoying their presence and the sense of recovered stability for a few minutes.

Burr then pressed Thomas closer to him, turning to Alex with dimmed eyes.

 

"So when were you going to tell us Lafayette and Mulligan are regular customers here?" he said coldly.

 

Hamilton looked down, shoulders falling slightly in shame. Jefferson raised big shiny eyes, fluttering between his Betas. His brows furrowed at the growing tension, fearing that his friends might start yelling at each others.

 

“They… They aren’t really regulars...” the Caribbean man gulped. “They only come here to see me, or Washington, or simply to talk with James.”

 

“Why would they want to rent an Omega for talking?”

 

“Be...Because James is very smart. He’s a very interesting man to talk about politics with… And you know… He’s just nice and soft and-”

 

“That’s not the issue here,” Aaron snapped. “These Alphas know Thomas by heart, and you were aware that he could meet them in here.”

 

Alexander blinked, staring at him in disbelief. His eyes darkened, and Thomas tried to make himself as small as possible.

 

“You stop right there Aaron. It’s not my fault Thomas wasn’t in the area I had specifically told him to stay in. Plus come on, _everyone_ knows him!”

 

“Shut up Alex! You hid it from us, you put Thomas in danger!”

 

Alexander scoffed, mouth gaping in disbelief.

 

“ _I_ put Thomas in danger? Wow. Are you kidding me? I’ve done my best to help you guys so far, including hiding stuff from my father and my pack mates! Jesus Burr, do you really take all of this for granted?”

 

A pissed growl vibrated through Aaron’s throat, the man’s brown eye burning on the other Beta. Thomas clenched his fists, trembling slightly. He didn’t like it… They were terrifying to him, they were yelling, and they were wrong. It was his fault, and his fault only.

Burr’s anger died out as he realized Alexander was right. His stress had made him overreact, and it was unfair for the Caribbean man. He sighed and pressed his friend tighter, inhaling his soft scent. His presence reminded the young Beta of his duty, and he released some pheromones to soothe him. A weak whimper of relief escaped Thomas’ lips, and Alex’s muscles unclenched too. He looked at the ground, a remorseful silence spreading in the little room.

 

“I’m sorry Alex… You’re right...” Burr breathed out, buried in his Omega’s hair. “I’m just… thankful you’re helping me protect him...”

 

Alexander nodded. The outside world was unfair and brutal for Omegas. It was still unclear to him how Betas could even allow such treatments when himself had been unable to keep considering Thomas as an enemy the second he realized he was an Omega. Things needed to change, and he’ll make sure of it. He just needed to wait for the right moment, the right person. How would it even happen? A speech? Several ones? Posters, leaflets, songs, books… And whose voice to use? His? So far it hadn’t been truly fruitful… Only Lafayette and Mulligan had ever believed in his arguments, especially after they lost their first Omega… But maybe was it because they were too _Beta_ -like on their triangle spectrum… The world was full of much stronger Alphas, as powerful as they were fierce. Even if Betas managed to rise up and try to free the weakest cast, Alphas had a strength and aura that made it impossible to think about such rebellion…

Washington’s voice maybe? No, Hamilton knew even his voice wouldn’t be enough to change the mindsets. Plus the Alpha had long given up on politics.

 

He looked up, and after a small hesitation deemed it okay for him to get closer. The Beta released his pheromones again, Thomas visibly tensing down as he rested against Burr. Hamilton wrapped his arms around the two other men, managing to press them both close. Jefferson grumbled softly and shifted to get more comfortable. As for Aaron, he let him do, absently rubbing his Omega’s hair.

Alexander gulped, eyes scanning him with a concerned light. He never understood this man. So silent, calm, hesitating. His exact opposite. Aaron had always been a perfect Beta, his spectrum barely oscillating.

And yet, for a few days now, his friend had been speaking up. His eyes were braver, his voice steadier. Alexander wasn’t blind to this change, and he knew how frightening feelings could be. He knew what they felt couldn’t get even close to what Thomas was feeling, but it didn’t mean they couldn’t be scared of it. Scared of these moments in which it was oscillating too much, and suddenly you felt like someone new.

So Alex couldn’t help but sympathise with Burr. His friend had finally found a cause worth fighting for. And Hamilton was as proud as he was nervous to finally see him oscillate towards the Alpha angle.

 

Slowly, the Caribbean man approached the Beta’s jaw, keeping a careful gaze on his grave eyes. First times were always a bit tricky to handle, and Aaron seemed particularly on edge. Surely mixing up determination and self-control was hard to handle for him…

Hamilton then pressed a steady kiss to his jaw, making Aaron tense up. He shot him a confused glare, eyes still flickering with nervousness. He let out a heavy sigh as his muscles tensed down, slowly realizing his state. Alexander smiled softly and pressed another quicker peck on his cheek.

 

“Don’t worry Aaron… We’ll keep him safe… Laf and Herc won’t blow his cover, and James is not the type to gossip.”

 

Aaron nodded, Thomas shifting in his lap to stare at him with shiny eyes.

 

“James? Where is he?”

 

“Probably went back to work...” Alexander smiled fondly. “It’s nice to see you two got along...”

 

Thomas frowned, straightening up a little to sit next to Aaron. The Beta wasn’t sure if he was happy to see him recollecting himself, or a bit disappointed to face an Alpha again. Omega Thomas was triggering such protective instincts within him it gave him a fuzzy feeling in his stomach.

Thomas crossed his arms, raising his chin.

 

“He’s just an Omega. The most “decent” of the bunch...”

 

Alexander grinned, smirk widening as Aaron sighed at the sight. And here they go again…

 

“Aw Tommy just admit our little James is the softest thing on Earth.”

 

“He’s an Omega. He was doing his job obeying me.”

 

“Obeying _you_?” Alexander scoffed, giving a large tap on his shoulder. “Aw Thomas he’s obeying no one but Washington, Tallmadge or me. But seriously have you tried hugging him? He’s like a warm little cushion~~”

 

Thomas groaned, looking away.

Alexander’s eyes widened and shone like a Christmas tree. He twitched in his seat, taking an eager glance at Aaron, then froze. The glare the other Beta was shooting him was enough to scare a blind man. The Caribbean man immediately stopped himself from saying what he was about to say, grumbling softly.

 

Aaron sighed. There was no way he was letting Alexander blow his friend’s mood up again by pointing out the obvious fact that Thomas was pouting like a pissed toddler.

 

Jefferson then got up, the two Betas staring at him like he was about to do a back flip on the edge of a skyscraper’s roof. They were surely a little overprotective, but none of them truly realized it.

The Omega groaned softly, holding his hips, then started making his way towards the door. The others stared in silence, before literally bolting out of their seats.

 

“WAIT Thomas where are you going?” Alex gasped, taking his wrist.

 

The Virginian turned to him and frowned softly. He was definitely looking less like a mess, but his eyes were still shining with contained concern. Alexander couldn’t help but feel completely weak, biting his tongue to stop himself but screeching. God this new Tommy was way too adorable…

 

“I’m going back to my room now that you’re here...” the Omega grumbled, looking away with a slight pout.

 

Alex blinked. He could feel Aaron’s intense gaze burning his skin, clearly meaning the bald Beta wasn’t agreeing at all with that prospect. Hamilton felt like the father living through the “Do something” mom look.

 

“What? No Thomas I… The place is still full of Alphas we gotta wait until this evening at least...”

 

Thomas frowned, visibly upset. He crossed his arms.

 

“Awesome, so we’re stuck here.”

 

“Be sensible Thomas...” Aaron sighed, getting to put a hand on his shoulder. “Come and take a sit...”

 

The Virginian groaned but obeyed, following Burr to the bench. There he laid his head on his friend’s lap, a pout on his lips and eyes’ burning with discontentment as the Beta simply stroke his hair. The contrast was quite comical, as Burr seemed rather peaceful and satisfied.

Alexander smiled weakly, resting against the door. Thomas was a good man. He had had time to think about it, after years of hating him for no other reason than pride. It turned out the Virginian could show a very soft side, and Hamilton wasn’t about to complain.

His eyes darkened. The way Thomas turned submissive in front of Betas and Alphas alike though, worried him more. In fact, the puffy haired man was even easily soothed by Omegas, like James. Alexander had lived with the weakest cast long enough to understand them. He had been observing Thomas, and he could tell his Omega side was one of the coyest he had ever seen. In an Omega House, it could mean great troubles. Alphas unable to resist the temptation of Branding him, strong and long Heats, violent mood swings… Surely letting Thomas out in the middle of the day was the worst thing he could have let happen… They needed to keep him away for as long as possible, and avoid any contact with possible mouth-spillers.

 

That’s when someone knocked on the door, making Hamilton curse about whatever higher spirit decided to destroy the deepness of his thoughts with dramatic irony.

 

“The room is rented.” Alexander groaned, pleased to see the two others were peacefully resting while he was struggling to protect Thomas fucking Jefferson.

 

“I know.” was the only answer.

 

Hamilton froze, a tight-lipped smile on his lips and eyes like marbles. Burr and Thomas looked up, blinking confusedly in his direction.

 

“Are you okay Alex?” Aaron frowned.

 

The Beta didn’t answer, staring at him with the most “We’re so dead” smile ever. Then he turned to the door, beamed, and opened it.

 

“Hiiiiiiii Dad ~~ You’re back early ~~”

 

George Washington glared at his son with a patronizing look Jefferson had never thought the great Alexander Hamilton could tolerate. The Alpha’s muscles were broader than any man he had ever met, and he could feel his stomach twitch with aching desire. Burr felt it, and pressed his friend close to his chest, hoping to protect him from the enthralling smell.

Washington walked inside, scanning the room with hard eyes. Aaron gulped and held Thomas tighter as the older man’s gaze landed on the Omega.

 

“Tell me Alex, I’ve been greeted by numerous customers on my way here. I find it hilarious that they all without exception asked me when our newest Omega, the one that looks like Thomas Jefferson, would be “released”. And I think it even funnier that I didn’t know we had a new Omega.” he added, turning to his adopted son with burning eyes.

 

Hamilton shrank onto himself and made an awkward smile. He fiddled nervously, before taking a deep breath.

 

“Dad, listen, I was going to tell you, but this was an extreme situation, and you were probably not going to answer.”

 

“Alexander.”

 

The smaller man gulped, approaching weakly.

 

“Dad please...” he breathed out. “I promised we’ll protect them...”

 

“This is not the issue here, Alexander. You should have warned me, or Tallmadge. Especially considering who that new Omega is.”

 

Thomas avoided his eyes, holding Aaron close. Alex fell silent, Washington still glaring at him hardly. Burr looked at them for a second, before getting up and approaching the Alpha. He needed to say something, he needed to defend the man who had basically saved their lives.

Washington looked at him, and the Beta gulped. He was truly damn tall…

 

“I am Aaron Burr, sir, Thomas’ Beta. We are truly sorry about the inconvenience we caused. Alexander only wished to put us to safety considering Thomas’ new conditions.”

 

The broad man frowned then sighed, Alexander holding his breath next to him. Thomas was sat on the couch, eyes screwed on his own feet. Aaron was too far away already…

The Beta hesitated, the tiptoed to kiss the older man’s neck.

 

“If you wish for us to leave, we would understand sir. Thank you for your hospitality.”

 

“It is not about making you leave,” Washington finally sighed, visibly more open now that Burr had shown his respect, “it is about me being in charge and being made aware of what happens.”

 

He glared hardly at his son, who looked down with shameful eyes. The Alpha seemed fair in his judgement in Aaron’s opinion. He could have been violent towards the young Beta, or could have immediately thrown the two intruders out. Yet his eyes were filled with more thoughtful concern than dominant anger. Surely the man knew he had to maintain the decision-making appearance of someone with responsibilities, but he was also obviously thinking about the possibilities he had given the situation.

Alexander gulped and approached Aaron, Burr raising a brow as his smaller pack mate sought reassurance behind him.

 

“Dad I’m sorry… I really wanted to tell you but it was already Hell here… I had my graduation ceremony and I had to go fill my Advisor papers with Laf and Herc and John had his heats and Thomas had his accident and then the customers were assholes and Tallmadge was overwhelmed and there’s this guy who was mean to Maria and we had to deal with everything and-”

 

“Alexander.” Washington cut with a much softer voice.

 

Burr blinked, seeing the Alpha completely shifting before his eyes. The hard-looking man was now looking with gentle eyes at his son, reaching out his hand to gently pet his cheek. Aaron could feel Hamilton tensing down, and the room’ smell also indicated that the Alpha’s much kinder pheromones had managed to soothe Thomas a bit too.

 

“I’m not mad at you Alex, I know it’s hard to lead this place, and you and Tallmadge are doing an amazing job already.”

 

Alexander nodded, softly escaping Aaron’ shadow to go and hug his adoptive father. Burr stayed silent, smiling as the sight was nothing but tender. He was right: Washington was a kind Alpha, able to use his pheromones to both protect and soothe his pack.

 

“Next time I want to be warned though. Now we have two new Omegas to teach to...”

 

Burr frowned, Alexander looking up.

 

“Two?”

 

“Yes I bought a 30 years old Omega named Simcoe on my trip. With mister Jefferson now-”

 

“Wait wait sir,” Aaron gulped, looking at Alex for help. “With all due respect, Thomas is… was an Alpha. He is not… used… I mean...”

 

Behind him, Burr could feel Thomas tensing up again, stress pheromones escaping him. Jefferson could not work here. He didn’t even have any heats, he was fluctuating… Everything about this new body of his was so unstable… Making him work as a prostitute could only make him panic even more…

Washington frowned, staring at the two Omegas.

 

“But he’s an Omega now. He can work to earn his room here.”

 

“But Dad it’s… it’s more complicated than that...” Alex tried. “He’s not stabilized, and he’s still recovering from that accident...”

 

“Oh… I see… He’ll work later then...”

 

“No I mean… Dad come on I mean… He was not “born” like this… He doesn’t know how to deal with this body...”

 

“We’ll give him a tutor, don’t worry… What about James? He is very patient...”

 

Aaron and Alex exchanged a nervous gaze, and Washington frowned darkly.

 

“Son, I cannot have a useless mouth to feed here, especially considering the customers already know about his presence.”

 

“But Dad he can work as a Beta-like employee on the Underground floor!” Alex exclaimed, grabbing his sleeve. “Come on Dad, we don’t even know if he will remain an Omega! He’s not self-lubricating, he sometimes shifts to his Alpha side, this is a bad idea and.. and people will recognize him!”

 

Washington sighed, rubbing his chin. He laid burning eyes on Thomas, who shrank under his gaze.

 

“He seems healthy, and I can assure you, he’s already strongly shifted, so this stability issue won’t be one for long. And if people recognize him, then so be it.”

 

Burr gulped, clearing his throat. Panic was bubbling up in his chest, and he could tell Thomas was in no better condition.

 

“Sir, this might create tensions between you and the Jefferson family. Thomas’ disappearance is already making the headlines. If the world knows Thomas is now an Omega House worker...”

 

_They’ll come from all around the globe just to have the satisfaction of screwing the former top Alpha of society…_

 

Thomas couldn’t handle that. Aaron couldn’t live with that.

 

Washington sighed and got to Thomas’ side, the Omega tensing up madly. The taller one passed a gentle hand on Jefferson’s neck, making him shake with lust and fear. Burr and Hamilton were on the edge, ready to intervene if things got out of hand. Thomas was not ready. He was not ready he would never be ready just let him _fucking_ go…

 

“Shhh… Easy there...” Washington whispered, petting the back on his head. “You’ve never been this close to an Alpha in this state, have you?”

 

Thomas trembled, eyes screwed on the ground. His muscles were quivering with every stroke, aching to be touched while seeking distance. The long fingers slithered on the delicate skin of his neck, honey colour unmarked.

Washington’s eyes shone.

 

“If he cannot be one of my workers, I could brand him.”

 

Burr’s blood rushed to his head, and his eyes dimmed madly. Brand… Thomas?

If Thomas was branded that meant… He’ll be closer to Washington, he’ll crave only him, he’ll seek only him… No… No he couldn’t live with that...

Jefferson barely reacted, too focused on keeping his composure. Burr looked at him, at how lost and fragile he looked. So far away from him he looked already…

Hamilton gulped.

 

“W-What do you mean Dad?”

 

Washington looked up, and Burr was forced to admit his gaze was empty of all ill intentions.

 

“If I brand him, I can explain to the customers why he was roaming around unbranded. As I don’t have an Omega any more, he could become my personal Omega, which means I’ll care for him and protect him from the other Alphas you two fear so much. He’ll lack nothing under my watch, and he’ll be respected enough.”

 

Aaron was shaking with contained horror. His Thomas… His Thomas wouldn’t be his any more…

But on the other hand his Thomas so desperately needed protection. This seemed like the best solution and yet… Yet he couldn’t accept it… Not… Not now…

Alex noticed his anguish, and his eyes dimmed sadly. He turned to his father.

 

“I think they need time to think about it...”

 

Washington nodded, getting up with a slight grunt. He smiled at his son and at Aaron.

 

“I’ll be in my office then. Take your time, I don’t need an answer straight away. Just make sure he stays away from the customers until he’s recovered. We’ll take a decision then.”

 

He then turned to Hamilton.

 

“Make sure this dining room is booked until the end of the day. They’ll get back to their room once the customers left. Now come with me son. I think we have much to discuss, and you need to meet Simcoe.”

 

Alexander gulped weakly. He got to Thomas, pressing a kiss to the poor Omega’s neck. Jefferson was still slightly shaking, and he let out a weak whimper as he realized Alex was leaving. The Caribbean man smiled sadly and rubbed his cheek.

 

“I’ll be back. Stay here. Aaron is with you.”

 

Thomas nodded. His senses were coming back, and stress was suffocating him. Washington’s Omega? Him? No… He couldn’t… He didn’t want to… He wasn’t an Omega. He wasn’t an Omega he…

Jefferson let out a weak sob and curled in a ball on the couch. It was a nightmare…

Alexander’s heart tightened, and he turned away to approach Burr.

 

“I’m sorry...” he breathed out as he laid a tender kiss to his neck.

 

“Don’t be...”

 

The smaller man nodded, unconvinced, and exited the room, leaving the poor men to their anguish. Burr got to Thomas, heart breaking with every step. It was meant to happen at some point, and he knew Thomas’ reality was to change. Though Jefferson working as a prostitute was no better prospect for Aaron than him being Washington’s Omega. Actually, Thomas being anything but his terrified him greatly.

 

He gently laid against his friend, the poor shaking mess immediately nuzzling in his neck. They stayed here until the sun disappeared, both unable to sleep, tormented by a future they could hardly picture yet…

 

 

 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hey guys ~~ Been a while ~~
> 
> I've got exams coming up so I won't be able to post for two weeks (sorryyyyy)
> 
> I'm leaving you on this cliffhanger ;) enjoy
> 
> As usual I'm eager to read your feedbacks (what do you think about the situation? About Washington?)
> 
> Anyway guys~~ Toodle loo


	7. Solving (SMUT)

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Some much needed clarifications and talks happen.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> TRIGGER WARNING: SMUT/ mentions of rape/ mentions of PTSD/ crude language/ dubious consent

Aaron readjusted his tie with a long yawn, tears pearling at the corner of his eyes. The previous day’ stress had finally kicked in, making his muscles sore and his mind blurry. Each move felt like the greatest mistake of his life, the first of which having been getting out of bed. If he had a say in the matter, he’d admit staying close to Thomas’ warm presence felt much more appealing than dealing with aching muscles, no matter how many adorable Omegas were involved in his new job.

Burr looked into the Beta Room’s mirror, letting out a defeated sigh. His tie was still everything but straight, and his overall appearance had all the characteristics of a walking dead. Just how green can your face get out of stress?

He checked his watch, disappointed to realize it was only eight in the morning. He had no less than another hour to kill before the beginning of the shift. Aaron’s eyes landed on his hands, lost in thoughts. Thomas had been nuzzling against these same hands all night long, enjoying his reassuring scent. The poor man had been in sheer hormonal distress for hours, whimpering against a helpless Burr. The stress induced by Washington’s introduction had been too much for him to handle, and Jefferson had been unable to calm down no matter how much pheromones Aaron had tried to release.

The Beta balled his fists, heart tightening as he remembered his friend’ shaking figure, his wet eyes and soft pleas.

 

_Please Aaron… Aaron don’t… don’t let him brand me… Please… Please Aaron…_

 

How could he tell him? How could he tell this broken friend of his that a Brand would be the best protection for him against jealous or evil Alphas? That it would be a protection Aaron could not provide?

His heart filled with a bitter fluid, his stomach overflowing with nauseating jealousy and unstoppable anger. For the first time in his life, he regretted being a Beta. He was almost sure Thomas would accept his Brand had Burr been an Alpha. He would have been able to cherish and protect him, pledging his life to his safety.

Thing was, Alphas had glands that allowed them to brand both Omegas and Betas by biting their necks. To Betas, it only created a feeling of safety and loyalty, an asexual bound which truly didn’t have any real impact on their behaviour as they still had their complete free will. On the contrary, the impact was far greater on Omegas. Once branded, their hormonal system sought the Alpha’ specific touch and protection, regardless of their relationship with them. A raped Omega would crave his rapist’s touch for months depending on the Alpha’s pheromone quantity and their own one, which meant any Omega would be trapped in their master’s household forever if the brand was renewed often enough. But not all Omegas reacted the same way to a Brand, and the worst was that scientists had already found countless methods to help Omegas remaining fully functional members of society despite their heats and fragility when branded. Of course though, they were barred from buying them. In fact, they were barred from walking in the damn streets without an Alpha, a Beta, or a pass. Life was unfair.

And life was even more unfair for Thomas and Aaron, for it had struck their future harder than the stupid truck that broke Jefferson’s hopes and dreams. Aaron could never forgive whatever god had decided to toy with their fate.

Indeed, Aaron was a Beta, and just like Omegas, he didn’t have a Branding gland, nor a knot. So if Thomas was to have his heats, he could only assist him and wait, leaving him in terrible pain and need. And most of all, if Thomas was to be branded, Aaron would lose him forever. Or at least, lose their current relationship. And it was unbearable to imagine.

But, as he was stuck within his own Beta condition and tormented by anguish, he was also conscious Thomas’ need for protection was growing with every hour and coy action.

 

Aaron looked into the mirror. He wasn’t enough. He simply wasn’t. No matter how hard it would be for Thomas to accept, Burr couldn’t protect him forever. He’d have to… to let him go. No matter the ache in his heart at the thought of a life without his best friend.

 

His thoughts were interrupted when Alexander and Tallmadge walked in, visibly arguing. The blond haired Beta seemed furious, getting to his locker while ignoring his desperate Packmate. If there was any possibility of ignoring an Alexander Hamilton of course…

 

“Listen Ben, I really am so, so sorry...” the Caribbean tried, hands agitated by nervous movements.

 

“I swear to God, Alex, cut the bullshit!” Benjamin growled back, eyes burning with contained fury. “This is my job, my Pack, my Alpha, and you made me believe that-… God you promised Washington was aware of this mess! What if he had fired me for letting strangers in the Underground Area without his consent? For letting them approach the Omegas?”

 

Alexander bit his lips, shrinking onto himself. He had messed up, and gave up on finding an excuse, looking up with sad eyes. There was no arguing that Washington would never do such a thing…

 

“I know Ben, I’m sorry… I was an asshole, I just-”

 

“Oh let me reassure you, you still _are_ an asshole!”

 

Hamilton sighed, defeated. Burr avoided their gazes. He knew it was partly his fault, even if he had never encouraged Alexander to lie. His whole story was doomed to fail since the beginning…

 

“Tallmadge...” he finally tried, deciding he owed Alexander an attempt at saving his ass, “Please don’t blame Alex… he…” _acted recklessly, and spoke before thinking,_ “he just wanted to help us...”

 

Alexander looked up and gave him a thankful smile, as feeble as he felt sorry. Aaron returned the gesture, trying to show there was no hard feelings. This man kinda saved them after all…

Tallmadge frowned and sighed, crossing his arms.

 

“I’m not- okay I’m a bit mad, but like not _that_ mad… I’ve known Alex for ages… I know he just wanted to help but Jesus can’t he just do it without creating new troubles?”

 

Aaron let out a warm chuckle, a bit soothed by the friendly presence of the Betas.

 

“I mean, that’s Hamilton we’re talking about...”

 

He heard the small man groaning at the remark, but he was smart enough to keep his mouth shut for once. Tallmadge nodded, getting to straighten Burr’s tie. The bald man looked away in embarrassment, but gave him a thankful smile anyway. The blond man’s face had turned back into his friendly complexion, and he placed a gentle greeting kiss to Aaron’s neck.

 

“Still, you two are in a serious mess, Washington is more furious than he lets it appear. You’re gonna have to make a choice quickly” he warned. “Is Thomas going to join the Pack or become Washington’s branded mate?”

 

Burr tensed. No… wait… Thomas is… He’s not ready…

He shook his head, a bit too energetically.

 

“We aren’t sure yet...” he admitted.

 

_I’ll never be sure. I can’t let him take him away from me_

_._

And yet… Yet he was just a Beta… He shouldn’t get so attached to an Alpha… But Thomas wasn’t an Alpha anymore right? Aaron only felt the need to stay with him because he was an Omega now...

It was just his natural instincts. Just… his instincts…

 

Tallmadge looked at him with slight concern, then crossed his arms.

 

“You should talk to Thomas then… My boss wants an answer, and he made it pretty damn clear he wants it fast.”

 

Alexander gulped, getting undressed as quickly as he put his clothes back on again. Burr noticed the nervous behaviour, but he was way too concerned by Tallmadge’s words to point it out.

 

“What do you mean by that? He said Thomas could take his time to heal...”

 

Benjamin shook his head, looking at Alex. The Caribbean fiddled nervously with his tie, before gulping. Aaron had a terrible feeling about this…

 

“My… My father… Well, he wants us to stop lying to the Omegas and customers if they ask further questions about Thomas and you. It’s basically some kind of passive aggressive punishment...”

 

Burr’s eyes widened in shock, heart rate increasing madly. It was a nightmare, he couldn’t… he wouldn’t do that…

 

“But… But wait that means… People will know who we are...”

 

_They’ll know who he is…_

 

“Yes, but that doesn’t mean you guys will be in any more danger.” Tallmadge quickly cut in. “If Thomas joins the Pack along with you, he’ll be protected by the staff as any of our workers would be. And of course, if he becomes Washington’s mate, he’ll be more than taken good care of. He’s one of the most dominant and protective Alphas I know…”

 

His attempt at soothing Aaron ultimately failed as the insightful comment reminded him of the harsh reality. Washington’s Brand would be the best protection. He had to let him go… He had to.

Alexander seemed to notice his friend’s anguish, and got to gently peck his cheek. Aaron gasped and looked at him with a puzzled gaze. The smaller man smiled sheepishly.

 

“Hey Aaron, relax… My dad’s an amazing man. He used to be very kind to his Omega, or so Martha told me when she was alive...”

 

Somehow, it didn’t soothe Aaron. Somehow it woke up the anger and jealousy. Dark bitterness filled his eyes, and he tensed, shooting the confused man a death glare.

 

“Why are you telling me this?” he growled coldly. “I don’t care about his past gentleness. His current behaviour is gonna cost my friend everything...”

 

He grabbed his collar, and Alex’s eyes lit up with slight panic. He had never seen Aaron that angry and tormented by actual emotions before.

 

“I can’t lose Thomas. I can’t let him be broken by any Alpha, no matter how _kind_ they are. Becoming a prostitute would tear him apart. Becoming a House Omega would destroy his fragile hope and confidence. I’ll be his Beta. I’ll be all he needs. I’ll be the Alpha he requires to be protected and cherished. I’ll hide him during his heats, I’ll hide him from any opponent or threat, I’ll hide him from his parents, from the police, from his _friends_ if I have to. I’ll top, I’ll bottom, I’ll do whatever he fucking needs and never _ever_ will I let anyone lay a goddamn hand on him.”

 

His hand was shaking, hardly clenched around Alex’s collar. The other Beta was unusually silent, eyes filled with concern and fear. Aaron was drifting towards the Alpha side. Hamilton had never thought he’d see the day it happens. But now he was sure about something: he had found it. The issue, the thorn in Aaron’s heart that kept him from being sensible about the situation.

Tallmadge looked at them softly, understanding there was a much needed talk to happen. He adjusted his tie and turned away.

 

“I’ll be with the Omegas if you’re looking for me.”

 

He breathed out, escaping the Beta Room’s heavy atmosphere to grant them the privacy they needed. Burr finally let go of his friend, turning away with a heavy pounding in his chest. Alex remained silent, eyes scanning his demeanour. He felt truly terrible about this whole situation, considering he had been the one assuring Burr that Washington would be welcoming. Not that the Alpha was going to chase them away, but he’d had hoped for him to keep the secret and just accept the guests as new inhabitants of the place.

Alexander had not lost hope of convincing Washington that they could just help with the chores, but right now he had another issue to deal with…

 

“Aaron… I just… I know what you feel for Thomas but-”

 

“Don’t. You don’t know anything. Don’t just assume that because I saved your ass with Tallmadge you can read me like an open book.”

 

Alex tensed. Truth is, he actually knew how Aaron felt like. He knew his thinking process well enough to say that Aaron was in complete denial of his own feelings. To Aaron, to society, Alphas were to marry Alphas, Betas were to marry Betas, and Omegas were just allowed to spread their legs and take whatever came to them. No marriage for them, and they were lucky if they got along with their Alphas, Betas or any of their Packmates. Orgies weren’t rare after all, and Alpha and Beta voyeurs loved to see their little slaves have “fun” with each other. Thankfully, Washington’s Pack Omegas were privileged with enough freedom and care to escape these awful treatments.

Though, to continue on the marriage topic, whatever Burr felt for Thomas had to be hidden, especially for people their rank. Alex knew Lafayette and Mulligan didn’t care about his Beta status, and he didn’t intend on marrying them anyway. Ceremonies were such a bother… As for John, Hamilton was more than delighted to be allowed to love him too. Polyamorous relationships, or romantic Packs, were common, though not every Alphas allowed their Betas to approach the Omegas. Thankfully for Alex’s lovestruck heart, Lafayette and Hercules were open-minded enough to let John have a say in the matter, and after a little while getting used to Alex’s presence, Laurens had fell deeply in love with him too. Alex was too happy to have them all, and to see them all actually loving and caring for each other. This kind of fulfilling relationship, with such a smart Omega and caring Alphas, was the reason why he wanted things to change. The fucking fact that John could love him despite being branded was a counter-example of all the so called scientific proof that Omegas were just sex craving whores. Alphas needed to be held responsible for their actions. Alphas needed to be taught how to love, apologize, and take care of each other, instead of being treated like kings. Betas needed to be allowed to love who they wanted, and to work in highly qualified domains instead of being stuck to Advisory jobs. And Omegas needed to be treated like fucking human beings, and to own their own bodies and goddamn lives. This was what Alex believed in with his whole heart, and he’d fought for it until his very last breath.

But for an over thinker like Aaron, conventions and appearances were of paramount importance, and no matter his internal beliefs, a revolution was not even thinkable. Thomas was a forbidden fruit he was only allowed to look at. And the problem was, Aaron was stubborn, and Thomas blind as hell, so no matter how much Alex wanted to write a two hundred pages long essay on all the reasons why it was _goddamn obvious_ they had been all about each other for years, he couldn’t.

And right now, he had a chance to lay out some fucking arguments.

 

“Aaron, listen, it’s obvious-”

 

“It’s obvious _what_?” the other nearly spat in his face.

 

Alexander ignored the aggressive tone. There was no stopping Alexander fucking Hamilton.

 

“Aaron, now that Thomas isn’t an Alpha anymore, it’s your chance to be free.”

 

He stopped himself from smirking in victory as Aaron’s eyes lit up with a spark of interest. And, thankfully for Alex, the bald man’s muscles were back to a less threatening state of relaxation.

 

“Free?”

 

Hamilton smiled, getting closer with a gentle gaze. Aaron tensed back a little, but he ignored it.

 

“You will be outcasts now, the both of you. You’ll be mocked, or threatened by rancorous assholes, or arrested by the Police for illegal possession of unregistered Omega. Thomas will be put on the market, you’ll never see him again. It’s gonna be hell for you guys if you get out of here, or if you don’t go far in the countryside to hide. The customers are all about the “new Thomas Jefferson-looking Omega”, I’m telling you, as soon as this place opens, you guys will be at the center of a fucking media storm.”

 

Aaron glared at him in silence, deadpanning and astounded.

 

“For such an eloquent man Alex, I’m truly wondering how you can be so fucking tactless.”

 

And most of all, the truth in his words was just too awful to hear.

Alex chuckled, shaking his head.

 

“Sorry, but hear me out Burr, this whole situation… It’s an opportunity.”

 

Aaron scanned the chatterbox in front of him, concerned by the excited light in eyes. This man had an idea, and he wasn’t sure he wanted to hear it.

As Burr seemed much more sceptical than pissed, Alexander deemed it okay for him to lay out the plan he had thought about all night long.

 

“Listen, I’ve thought about it a lot. What if this was an opportunity for us to make a move for Omega rights?”

 

Aaron blinked.

 

“What?”

 

“Hear me out! Soon Thomas and you will be the headlines of every fucking newspapers in the world. “Thomas Jefferson, richest Alpha heir on Earth, has turned into an Omega”. This will open so many debates Aaron! Some will say he should be treated as a slave, others will argue he has the intelligence of a Jefferson. One thing will lead to another, and the Omega’s integrity will be questioned. And they might interview Thomas, or Washington, or even you. Thomas could become the leading figure of the greatest social revolution in history, as they’ll see he’s still as intelligent in both forms!”

 

Aaron thought for a second, evaluating the idea. It seemed… possible indeed, though some points needed clarification.

 

“But Thomas will never accept to stand for Omegas...” he pointed out.

 

“Bullshit! See how he looks at James!”

 

Aaron tensed madly again, eyes sharpening. Alex shivering and gulped. Wow. That was so smooth. Maybe Aaron was right about his tactfulness… or rather his lack of tactfulness.

On the other hand, it was the time to try the second argument. The one that could win the debate, or sign Alex’s death. His eyes got more serious.

 

“And furthermore, his role could also open a way to inter-cast marriage.”

 

Aaron tensed more than his body should be able to, and he snapped his head up, eyes wide and sharp. Alex held his breath. But he was, obviously, unable to contain himself more than five seconds.

 

“It’s your chance Aaron. Chance to make a change. If you guys stay here, no matter what Thomas decides as a job, we could finally get the catalyst we needed. We’ll open the room for freedom, real freedom. Picture this Aaron. Omegas roaming free, founding families, being safe and happy. Omegas being allowed to reproduce as they want, allowed to use contraception and suppressants of their own free will, to remove Branding marks if they wish to. Omegas, Betas and Alphas marrying who they want. No more slavery, no more injustice. The Omegas we love so much will be treated as humans, Aaron. The Omegas _you_ love so much will be free. We can’t throw away our shot!”

 

As Burr stayed silent, Alexander continued, pressing his hand softly. The other Beta looked up, and behind the confused light in his eyes, Alexander could see the hidden glimmer of hope shining. He knew it. Aaron wasn’t so empty of opinions and revolutionary ideas. He just needed a little nudge.

 

“Imagine Aaron, Thomas being free to be branded or not, to work as he wants. Thomas pursuing his dream of life, liberty and happiness.”

 

That was the last argument Aaron needed before his eyes widened.

Hope. Hope at last. The last solution, the one he had not thought about. The only good solution, now that he had heard it. His mouth gaped, soft tears appearing in his eyes and lips tugged up in a weak smile he just couldn’t erase. He wanted to ramble about the plan, about Hamilton’s ideas and hopes. He wanted to thank him and scream and tell the news to Thomas. Just thinking about his lovely face lighting up with new aspirations and dreams made his heart melt, and for the first in his life a spark of hope lit up in his rule-following heart. Maybe. Maybe this and that and maybe this over there and that just here. Maybe even Thomas and him-…

The simple thought of it made him blush and shy away like a teenage girl, and he couldn’t bring himself to formulate the sentence in his mind. He had ignored and hidden those feelings for so long that finding a solution had created an enormous breach in his heart’s dam. It was like facing a new truth, undeniable, self-evident, like finally understanding an equation, like finally seeing the light after having his eyes closed for so long. Maybe… just perhaps… So many maybes instead of categoric impossibles.

 

His thoughts were interrupted by the other Beta, who had taken Burr’ silence as a sign of remaining scepticism.

 

“Aaron please just listen look what if Washington brands you too? No wait he doesn’t care about branding his Betas… But like please Aaron you’re a part of the Pack, and the Omegas like you and they’ll be such a great support system for Thomas. He doesn’t know it yet but he _needs_ his peers. Aaron please you can’t leave it’s dangerous and if you stay Washington can legally and physically protect you. He’ll pay the fine for the illegal possession of Thomas and then he’ll be ours, like, I mean… But my point is he’ll be protected and we’ll be able to help him accepting his new identity, and then we can put my plan to execution and I’ll talk to Wash, he won’t brand him I promise and we’ll find a way not to make him work please please Aaron just stay you can’t-”

 

Burr blinked, staring at him with a wide, peaceful smile. Alexander finally stopped speaking, scanning his face, still concerned by the tears and the silence. Was he convinced? Was he mad? Oh god he was mad of fucking course he was mad oh Jesus what could he-

 

“I’ll stay.”

 

Alex froze, glaring at him. Aaron wiped his tears away, and even if he still looked emotionally shaken, he seemed able to debate and talk seriously.

 

“What?”

 

Hamilton couldn’t believe it.

 

“You… You _accept_? So… You’re staying?”

 

“Yes.”

 

Alex wanted to do a backflip but he was pretty sure he’d end up snapping his own neck. He still needed to make sure Aaron had also accepted the _other thing_.

 

“So you’ll help with my idea?”

 

“Yes. I’ll help you with your hum… _revolution_. But I have conditions.”

 

Aaron glared intensely at Hamilton, who straightened up with barely contained glee.

 

“Anything Aaron! Anything!”

 

“Good. So we’ll have to find a solution for Thomas. I accept to work for your father, but I don’t want to be branded. I’m Thomas’ Advisor.”

 

“Okay no pro, I promise don’t worry my father doesn’t care like he-”

 

“Also,” he cut him with an amused chuckle. “Thomas shall be able to be the master of his own choices. Washington cannot force him to be branded, or to work as an Omega here.”

 

Alex thought for a second.

 

“I mean, as long as Washington pays the fine, he’ll be legally in charge of him. So a Brand is not necessary to protect him. As for the job… Well you know my father is a fair person. I know him, he’s gonna observe Thomas during his convalescence and then he’ll make a decision. A good one, I’m sure of it. Though if things don’t really go as you want it we can still have a talk between decent gentlemen. Plus you know I’m amazing in debates, so it’ll be fine.” he added with a playful wink.

 

Aaron nodded thoughtfully, then a shy smile grew on his lips.

 

“So you really think we could… make all these social changes?”

 

The Beta seemed a bit embarrassed, and it didn’t go unnoticed. To be fair, Alex was way too overjoyed to continue having such a serious conversation. So… it was time to tease him a bit.

 

“Aw of course ~~ And if it doesn’t work immediately, then we’ll fight for it with a whole new set of arguments. Though my dearest Burr, I wonder what kind of change you are the most interested in ~~”

 

As expected, the Beta immediately flushed, shoulders stiffening as he looked at Alex with wide eyes. God poor Burr was so used to hiding his feelings that he didn’t know how to react ~~

 

“I- I mean I just… Everything I guess… Especially… Yes… I want Thomas safe… And happy… Yes...”

 

“Aaaaw ~~ And what kind of happy do you want him to be?” Alex insisted, eyes lighting up with more and more mischief.

 

He leaned in, wrapping his arms around his friend to try and increase the tension. With a little luck, his dear Burr would explode and satisfy his curiosity ~~

 

“What why I, like, I mean...” Aaron stammered, eyes screwed on the ground. “I just… I don’t understand the question… Just… just happy...”

 

“Really? But do you mean, just happy with his condition, or happy as in “founding a family” kind of happy?”

 

Burr’s head snapped towards him in panic and his mouth gaped uselessly. Hamilton smirked. He had won.

 

“Aw Aaron ~~ Why such a dark shade of red on your cheeks? Are you, by any chance, _interested_ in Thomas’ family making process?”

 

Aaron gasped, jumping away from Alex’s arms. If he wasn’t so flustered, Alexander would almost say his defensive reflex was impressive.

 

“N-No I’m not!”

 

“Yes ~~ Yes you are ~~ You _loooove_ him Aaron ~~”

 

Aaron’s eyes widened so hard Alex feared he had crossed a line. Though given Burr’s new state of mind, the poor Beta was unable to defend himself correctly. Hope had finally broken the damn dam.

 

“No. No I don’t.” he managed to croak, looking away with crossed arms. “He’s my Alpha, I’m just his Advisor.”

 

“Aw~~ But didn’t you hear what I said Aaron? The current social order’s days are counted. Soon Alphas, Betas and Omegas will be able to marry who they want ~~”

 

Aaron let out a pissed growl, which sadly sounded more like a whimper given his state. He blushed, and Alex took the occasion to approach and wrap his arms around him again with a sly grin. He pressed his lips against Burr’s ear shell, making the flustered man shiver.

 

“Aaron, darling, are you actually telling me you don’t enjoy it when he rams you down in a mattress? Are you telling me it’s only lust? Say, don’t you find his perfectly toned chest just delicious to watch? Tell me, how does it taste? How does _he_ taste? You say you don’t love him, but are you telling me you’re insensitive to his magnificent brown eyes, his cocky smirk which he only makes when he sees you? Doesn’t it make you swoon when he hugs you, when he confesses he feels safe with you? Dearest Aaron, don’t you think I see how you’d give your life for the Omega and that you’d spread your legs in front of a crowd for the Alpha? Do you happen to think I’m blind, darling?”

 

Each sound was pronounced with such a sultry voice that it became almost obscene. Aaron’s composure was breaking more and more with every word, and his throat was dryer than the Sahara. He could see it. He could see his Thomas in every sentence, and his newly discovered feelings were increasing with the realisation that yes. Yes he loved that man so bad it hurt, and he had loved him for an insanely long time.

 

And surely his conviction wasn’t the only thing growing stronger, for soon an unmistakable bump appeared between his legs. The young man tried to hide it, breath heavy with desire. Alex grinned softly, raising a playful brow at the sight.

 

“Well well well what do we have here Aaron? Could that be a _boner_ darling?”

 

With that last word, he cupped the clothed member with a skilled hand, earning a surprised moan from the taller Beta.

 

“A-Alex aAh~~”

 

“You seem very hard for a guy who’s not in love~~” Alex smirked, eyes burning.

 

Aaron was squirming in the pleasuring touch, trying to escape it with little to no will. He was hard, so why flee? He wouldn’t be able to work in that condition anyway… He arched his back in delight, face completely flushed and eyes clouded with pleasure.

 

“S-shut up Alex! M-make it quick.”

 

“Your wish is my command darling ~~”

 

With that he pushed Burr towards a bench, sitting on his lap while taking the swollen member out. Alex licked his lips, and fell to his knees.

 

“Aw Burr~~ How come we didn’t get along better before? With such a dick you would have had me in your bed every night~~”

 

The comment only made Aaron’s blush darken, barely able to breath as the sight of Alex on his knees, with such a cocky smirk, made him almost moan. He chewed on his lips, droplets of sweat pearling on his delicate skin as his Packmate started to work on the leaking tip of his member. Each lick of the wet tongue was driving him insane.

He arched his back, a long moan escaping his throat, and took a grip of Alex’s hair to try and push him deeper.

 

“P-please oh god Alex _please_ ”

 

“So impatient~~ Where’s your “Wait for it” motto Burr?”

 

But he didn’t expect an answer, and immediately sunk all the way down the member, grinning as it made Burr scream louder. The Caribbean man immediately started going up and down on the shaft, humming cockily around it to make his friend see stars. To be honest he would have never thought Aaron was so vocal during sex, but he wasn’t one to complain.

 

Soon, the dark skinned Beta was a shaking mess of moans and tears, almost drooling out of bliss. He tried his best to slow Alex down by pulling on his hair, but the small Beta was way too skilled to be disturbed by it. He was deep-throating the tensed man with his whole strength, aiming to make him come before the beginning of their shift.

He could feel Aaron was on the edge, and honestly he just wanted to have some fun toying around with him a little longer. He removed the shaft from his mouth and started pumping on it vigorously. Aaron gasped, moaning at the new sensation, but soon Alex was next to his ear, grinning.

 

“Just imagine I’m Thomas darling ~~”

 

And that was it. Aaron sky-rocketed towards his climax and came with a long cry of bliss, clenching Alex’ shirt in his hands so hard his knuckles went white. The poor Beta was panting heavily, a confused arousal lingering on his face. The other one just chuckled and got to clean them up with a towel found on one of the shelves.

Burr took a moment to gather his spirits then shot Alexander a death glare.

 

“You did it on purpose haven’t you?”

 

“Did wha ~~?” the other cooed smugly.

 

“Arousing me.”

 

“Me? Naaaaaaa”

 

He placed a quick peck on his cheek then sat beside him on the bench. The dark skinned Beta grumbled and pulled up his pants, ignoring his stupid smirk. Then Hamilton grinned wider.

 

“Soooo are you still telling me you’re not interested in the tall baby boy?”

 

Aaron froze, trying to come back with an excuse. Though truly, given the situation, he didn’t have much choice. He shot him a pissed glare.

 

“What if I say I’m in love with him?”

 

“I’ll tell you I knew it~~”

 

“And if I say I’m not?”

 

“I’ll take it as a yes ~~”

 

Aaron let out a long sigh, defeated. Hamilton was jubilating, a toothy smirk on his face. He was waiting for Burr to admit it, to put it into words. He just wanted to hear it from his stubborn mouth.

The Beta looked away with a slight pout. There was no denying the obvious.

 

“Fine.”

 

“Fine what?”

 

“You’re right?”

 

“I’m always right. Develop.”

 

He shot him a death glare, then rolled his eyes at the asshole’s mischievous smirk.

 

“I admit I might… have feelings for Thomas.”

 

His friend literally bounced out of his seat in victory.

 

“YES! _YES!_ I _KNEW_ IT! Lafayette owes me a fucking ten dollar bill!”

 

Aaron had barely registered that everyone seemed to have cracked him open before he even cracked himself open that Alex was typing furiously on his phone, surely texting Lafayette about his loss.

Somehow, the confession made him feel better. After all, maybe his friend was right. Maybe there was nothing wrong with it.

He couldn’t help but smile softly at the thought of a happy life with Thomas. If Thomas loved him of course, but right now he didn’t want to think about it. He just wanted to daydream a little…

 

Alexander finally sat down next to him again, visibly satisfied. Aaron raised a brow, surprised to see his friend still looked like he had a lot to say. Though, maybe it was just in his nature…

 

“So,” the Beta grinned, “Now that we’re good on all the problematic topics, we can finally go to work, it’s almost time. I just wanted to add something first.”

 

Aaron blinked, still fairly nervous.

 

“Sure?”

 

The Caribbean leaned down with a wide smirk.

 

“I just wanted to say Thomas is gonna be a damn lucky man given the size of your cock.”

 

Aaron almost spat out an invisible drink and looked at him with wide eyes. Hamilton burst out laugh, patting his back.

 

“Jesus, chill Burr! It’s a compliment!”

 

“That’s not the kind of compliment I expect from you!” he gasped out.

 

“Why? Cause I only saw your dick once?”

 

“NO BECAUSE IT’S OBSCENE.”

 

Alex blinked, staring at him. Then he raised an amused brow.

 

“Aaron, I literally just jerked you off.”

 

“SO WHAT?”

 

The other Beta burst out laughing, visibly not at all impressed by his anger. Aaron sighed, giving up on trying to teach Alexander Hamilton how to fucking behave. He rolled his eyes and got up, pulling on his tie to get his composure back.

 

“Anyway, it’s not as if Thomas was gonna bottom.”

 

He could feel it straight away. How Alex tensed and got up to join him. His friend’s eyes were dimmed with a much graver light, and Aaron felt his throat tighten. He didn’t wanna hear him say it.

 

“Hey Aaron you… You do realise Thomas might _need_ to bottom at some point, right?”

 

Burr looked at him darkly, nodding. The Caribbean man seemed truly worried, and Aaron had learnt how to accept his concern without feeling too weak. He’d never thought he’d get this close to his Alpha’s arch nemesis.

 

“Yes, I know. But for now I’d rather hope he might never get his heats...”

 

“Sure, but it’s not only about his heats. Someday he might get horny for you while just like… being an Omega. I mean, once he’s stabilized enough of course. For now he doesn’t feel safe enough as an Omega to do anything like this...”

 

Aaron gulped and nodded. Topping Thomas wasn’t such a problem. His member wasn’t as big as Alex made it appear, but it would be enough for the Virginian to feel… _filled_. Plus, as a Beta, Aaron didn’t mind topping nor bottoming, and having Thomas as sub wasn’t all that awkward considering the lustful Alpha had already asked him to give him a prostate orgasm more than once.

Though what really worried him was Thomas’ behaviour. Could he feel comfortable with Thomas moaning and begging for him like a bottom? He wasn’t all that sure…

But honestly, the greatest issue remained the heats. Aaron looked at Alex.

 

“Say Alex, just… let’s say he gets his heats… hum… he can’t get pregnant right?”

 

The Beta blinked then shook his head, scratching his chin.

 

“No, he doesn’t have a uterus. I think the shift is only hormonal, from what we’ve seen so far...”

 

“Kay… that’s good… but...”

 

Aaron stopped himself and bit his lips. He hated this question, but he really needed to ask it. Alexander seemed to notice his concern and smiled to encourage him.

 

“If he gets his heats, he’s gonna need to be knotted… more than once...”

 

Hamilton gulped and his eyes dimmed. Aaron looked away; he knew it. He was only a Beta, he couldn’t satisfy Thomas. He couldn’t help Thomas.

 

“Aaron, listen… He doesn’t _need_ to be knotted, but you and I both know a heat that’s not broken will be longer and more painful. The good thing is, there is a way for you to help him.”

 

Aaron’s eyes lit up with hope, and Alex felt a bit reassured at this sight.

 

“If we go to a sex shop we can find some knotting dildos. They’re a bit expensive, but nothing compared to suppressants.”

 

Burr frowned. Some Alphas actually chose not to knot their Omegas in heat? Why? It was apparently the greatest thing an Alpha could feel…

 

“Does it really exist?”

 

“Yeah, for like you know, voyeurism, and prostitute Omegas who don’t have an Anti-branding collar. It works better than suppressants cause it actually breaks the heat instead of delaying it. We have one for James here at the Omega House.”

 

Burr nodded, then raised a brow.

 

“James? Your best Omega isn’t allowed to be taken in heat? Wouldn’t the customers pay a lot of money for that pleasure?”

 

Alexander groaned softly, rolling his eyes.

 

“We actually care about the Omegas more than we care about money here. We’re wealthy enough for that.”

 

Burr nodded and looked down shamefully. He literally just had a long talk with Alex about Omega emancipation, and here he was, comparing them to mere income sources. Nice.

 

“Sorry I mean… Why doesn’t James want to be taken in heats?”

 

“His cycle is a mess,” Alexander sighed with a gentler voice. “And we never know what the side effects will be with him. Usually our dolls get coyer and touchier, but he’s completely unstable. One day he can be as cranky as a pissed Alpha, then the other he will cry and cower for nothing. Once, he got so shaken by his heats he literally forgot about the whole week he had them. The poor dear literally slept it away, and woke up very confused and lost. He didn’t even remember me feeding him!”

 

Aaron’s eyes widened softly. Such side effects were rare amongst Omegas, especially those with high pheromone rates. The more they had some, the more organized their cycles were. And from what he had smelled, James was very much full of pheromones, which could explain his success amongst Alphas.

 

“But he is strongly Omega-oriented,” he pointed out.

 

“Yeah I know,” Hamilton shrugged. “We never managed to find out why he’s like that. We suppose it’s linked to his fragile health. But anyway, the point is, we could get a knotting dildo for Thomas, and you’ll be able to help him get through his heats.”

 

Aaron thought for a second. The simple idea of Thomas suffering was intolerable. It had to work.

 

“Kay, you’ll show me how it works.”

 

“Sure, I’ll ask James to show you during his next heats.”

 

Aaron nodded, feeling a bit more at peace. It felt like… Like everything was settling nicely. As if every issue that had tortured his mind for the past week had just been solved. Of course, it was just an illusion. One little mistake in their planning, and the whole equilibrium would be broken again.

 

Alexander then took his hand.

 

“Okay we really gotta go now. If we’re late Tallmadge is gonna kill me, and goodbye to the super Washington-bargaining Alexander Hamilton.”

 

Aaron chuckled, following him. Maybe it was just him overthinking. Maybe it’ll finally be all okay. Maybe the social order will change, maybe Thomas will be happy. Maybe Thomas will love him…

He blushed at that thought. Yes. For once, he allowed himself to hope for the best.

He just had to wait for it.

 

They were about to exit the room when the door opened faster than Alexander reached for the knob. Maria was there, eyes wide with fear and make-up smudged with tears. She was still in her red nightgown, looking completely panicked, as if she had seen the greatest horrors of Hell.

 

Alex and Aaron immediately switched to their distinctive Beta behaviours as they smelled her stress pheromones. Their muscles tensed, and their eyes hardened so as to be able to offer a reassuring and protective sight to the poor Omega.

Alex spoke first, cupping her cheeks. The little woman was shaking like a leaf.

 

“Maria… Maria listen to me… Calm down darling… What’s wrong?” he asked in a soft but serious tone.

 

She sobbed, grabbing his wrists and trying to articulate. The Betas held their breath.

 

“There… There is a problem in the Omega Room. A big problem.”

 

 

 

 

 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> HEYYYY HEYYY HEYYYY I'm back ~~
> 
> Okay I'm so happy to be able to post today, cause like I missed you guys and I had those awful mock exams (send help)  
> I hope I'll be able to post at least one chapter a week from now on, but I'll warn you guys if there is any change. (btw my Instagram is albxnxx. It's a Jeffmads account where I post art. But if you guys follow me we'll be able to chat and I might post some fanarts of my fics SO COME AND CHAT PEOPLE (please) (if you wish to) (lol))
> 
> OKAY SO JEFFERBURR IS HAPPENING (or will it?) but you're all wondering... WHERE'S MADDY ? (Jeffmads is coming don't worry you people)  
> Is it a cliffhanger? yes. Do I love torturing you? Y-noooo not at allllll~~ OH AND WHAT DO YOU THINK HAPPENED?
> 
> So as usual some quick questions: opinions on the story so far? What do you think about the little Hamburr? And Jefferburr? IS everything clear about the universe?
> 
> ILY GUYS AND SEE YOU TO FALL DOWN THAT CLIFF ~~ THANks for commenting and reading YOU ARE THE BEST


	8. Challenges

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Thomas faces many of his insecurities, thanks to the "help" of several Omegas.
> 
> TRIGGER WARNINGS: mentions of sex/ mentions of mental abuse/ mentions of rape/ slutshaming/ slight non-consent / violence/ PTSD/ panic attacks/ mentions of BDSM/ mentions of slavery

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> TRIGGER WARNINGS: mentions of sex/ mentions of mental abuse/ mentions of rape/ slutshaming/ slight non-consent / violence/ PTSD/ panic attacks/ mentions of BDSM/ mentions of slavery

The Omega Room was as spacious as it was magnificent, with dozens of mirrors and make-up products everywhere for the Omegas to prepare themselves. It was surprisingly refined, light grey walls opening into what looked like numerous wardrobes with different types of outfits and items inside. A shelf on the right had Samuel Seabury’s name on it, and in the back of the room, a pink door with a “Toys/Role Play” tag stood out, ready to be opened. You could also roam around and find the “Elizabeth Schuyler” closet for example, or even the “Heat” shelf. But the room’s amazing width and potential for exploration was nothing compared to the dozens of hidden cupboards, in which you could find the Omega’s personal working objects or health products.

There was a lot to visit, and such an adventure would be perilous given the insane amount of cushions and armchairs scattered around the room. You couldn’t take more than four steps without tripping on an enormous red pillow, or getting your feet stuck into a fuzzy white blanket.

 

The soft items starkly contrasted with the apparent refinement of the room, as a reminder of the Omegas’ natural need for warmth. Though this specific characteristic was more than intentionally ignored by most owners, and such a large and comfortable place was rarely offered to the lower cast. All these warm cushions, fashionable clothes and high-quality make-up at the disposition of Omegas would seem unthinkable to most people.

 

And amongst all these confusing elements, one thing stood out: Thomas hated that room.

He couldn’t stand this sickeningly sweet scent, this comforting warmth, and these insanely soft pillows that only called for him to cuddle and fall asleep. He loathed the overpriced make-up that looked so good on the Omegas he had met, despised these shelves and enormous closets that contained their personal items and products. Why the hell would a _slave_ need personal items? How the _fuck_ could Washington spare a room for Omegas? And why _in hell_ were these closets the size of his room in the Nursery?

 

He couldn’t comprehend a thing, and his heart was pounding heavily with frustration. Oh Aaron was definitely going to hear about this… After all it was his fault he had had to get up and visit _this_ room. The asshole had waken him up extremely early in the morning, with the most _tender_ look on his face.

 

_Hey Thomas… Wake up… Why don’t you go and say “hi” to the other Omegas while I’m working? It’s 7:30, they should be in their dressing room… I’m off to the Beta Room, you know where to find me..._

 

Yes. Sure. As if he wanted to say “hi” to Omegas, especially after what had happened the day before. After he had behaved like… like a poor little boy in front of his best friends, in front of Alphas, in front of an _Omega._ He gulped weakly at the thought, the previous day playing over in his mind, up until one particular moment that made his breath shake: Washington’s attractive smile and terrible words.

 

_If he cannot be one of my workers, I could brand him._

 

A Brand. Him, Thomas Jefferson. _Branded_. How could he sink so low? How could Aaron _envisage_ it?

His eyes darkened in anger, fists curling into a ball. He didn’t understand his friend anymore. He couldn’t see why he felt the need to make him bond with the Omegas when his transformation was already so noticeable that an Alpha had proposed to fucking brand him. He couldn’t stand his pitying eyes, his soft voice, his warm hugs and soothing words. And yet his Omega side craved them…

 

His heart tightened. He was aware of how dependent he had become, of how dangerous his situation was. Although, that didn’t mean he was ready to accept it.

 

There were still numerous moments in which he felt “Alpha”. Like that time he had sex with Burr, for example. He could never forget the sensation of the sweet sight Aaron had offered to him, his eyes clouded by bliss and shaking voice and body craving for more. Plus, Thomas always felt absolutely terrible about himself after each “Omega” action, as if the world was crumbling under his feet and he was nothing but a worthless being. Jefferson clung to these two arguments as if they were life buoys, as an undeniable proof that he hadn’t completely turned yet.

But other facts were creeping up behind him, slowly making him lose his mind and all hope he had left: he knew Aaron and Alex should not feel so reassuring to him. He knew Omegas’ presence shouldn’t be as soothing as the presence of his own cast. And he knew Washington, Lafayette and Hercules shouldn’t look so beautiful, strong, hot, perfect and…

He knew it.

 

Deep inside though, he strongly believed he could still be an Alpha. He just had to be strong. To be unbreakable. In fact, he _was_ an Alpha. An Alpha visiting an overly luxurious Omega Room, in which he had every right.

Nothing could stop him from taking a look inside one of the closets, just to see what in the great Hell an Omega could “own”. It was only an Omega Room after all, no matter the appearances. And he was still an Alpha, so if he wanted to rummage through their stuff, he could. Because he was, indeed, an Alpha.

 

Confident in his argument and convinced that asserting his dominance would help him prove his point both to everyone and to his own stupid hormonal system, Thomas raised his chin and walked into the nearest cupboard. As expected, he tripped over two yellow cushions, cursing profusely before remembering his social status. He straightened up and let out a contemptuous groan, then actually passed the door.

 

The closet was relatively wide, maybe as big as a child’s room, and overfilled with fancy clothes that probably left nothing to imagination. Various products and items decorated the shelves, glass bottles of all colours reflecting over the walls. Jefferson glared around with the most judgemental look on Earth, crossing his arms to inspect the closest shelves.

 

_Anti-pregnancy pills? Ugh… Better that than ugly Omega babies running around I guess… And what’s that? “Anti-branding collars”… God they truly are fucking dogs…_

 

The Virginian just kept on judging and criticizing each item for a solid ten minutes. It didn’t matter whether it was an outfit that was too “grey and boring and overall just plainly ugly” or some lacy under-wears that were “too wide and of terrible taste”, he always found something negative to say. Even that cute turtle-neck sweater was suddenly “too prude and scratchy” as the young man refused himself to only even like one object. Surely if he wasn’t so obsessed with acting out a bad quality shopping show to prove his superiority both in rank and tastes, he’d have noticed the Omega walking in and stopping in their track to watch confusedly the intruder mumbling out insults to their clothes.

 

“Thomas?”

 

Jefferson almost choked, eyes widening. He span around, as tensed as a child caught stealing candies. James Madison was standing in the door frame, head slightly tilted to the side in confusion. The main room’s bright light cast a soft halo on his features, and made his wide eyes shine with curiosity.

 

“J-James. H-hi,” the other stuttered, unable to move.

 

Gone the straight-standing Alpha prick that was criticizing the whole room seconds ago, Thomas was willing to trade his soul to make himself smaller. To be fair, he had never completely turned back into an Alpha, and the surprise had waken his Omega instincts up in an instant.

The little man walked inside the huge closet-room, approaching softly. The gentle light of curiosity was still shimmering in his eyes, and Thomas bit his lips. He was cute. But he was an Omega, so it was only logical that an Alpha like himself fancied him a little bit. Being cute didn’t make James any smarter, and any less a good-for-nothing.

 

“What are you doing in my closet?” the small Omega asked, looking up to meet his eyes with not a single trace of anger.

 

How could he even dare looking him in the eyes? Nature had made him little for a reason. Omegas should all cower and whimper on Thomas’ path. That arrogant thing had no business trying to befriend him. And tilting his head to the side like an adorable puppy would not help his case…

 

Though, no matter how condescending Thomas wanted to sound, his wide eyes and gaping mouth wouldn’t cooperate, and he was left stammering his way out of this mess. He could only imagine his own flushed cheeks and nervous tics. Lying was stupid; any moron would notice his high pitched voice.

 

Although, Jefferson wasn't a terrible liar. If you asked him, he’d even say he was pretty good at it. A few years back, he'd managed to lie to Aaron about the whereabouts of his goldfish. The Beta had asked him to keep it for the vacations, and Thomas had “accidentally” knocked the aquarium into the toilets, and just as “accidentally” flushed it. It was, really, one stupid goldfish amongst any others, but somehow Thomas had not been able to bring himself to tell his friend he had killed his fish in an attempt to test its ability to swim against a strong stream. Ability which, through a thoughtful scientific experiment, he soon found to be non-existent...

 

But Aaron had believed him for three months when he had said the goldfish was at his grand-mother’s, so why wouldn't James, a brainless sex-driven Omega, believe him if he said he was just visiting?

 

Thomas took a deep breath, hoping he was convincing enough.

 

"I was visiting." He simply blurted out.

 

The Virginian was seconds away from throwing himself off a window. How could he sound so stupidly blunt? How could he be such a bad liar in this Omega form? Surely that was something natural for these idiots... Being completely unable to master their own feelings, to into a social world in which appearances mattered.

 

Though James simply blinked, a gentle smile spreading on his plump lips. Thomas frowned softly. Was he actually... believing him?

 

"Is it very different from your closet?"

 

Thomas frowned, mind rushing to find the correct answer. The question was way too open for his taste. What “closet”? Did he mean his room? But then again what “room”? His “Omega Room”? Or did he find out about his lineage and was asking about his _actual_ room? But did James even know about the Jefferson family? Did James even mean closet as in a room? Was this even a _room_?

 

Through this emotional storm of possibilities, Thomas only managed to gulp discreetly, shrugging.

 

"Yes, kind of. I had an actual room by the way, and it used to be bigger..." He thought for a second, "And I had a TV inside."

 

James' eyes lit up like candles on a Christmas tree, and Thomas wasn't sure if he looked completely idiotic or desperately cute.

The little Omega approached, still keeping that same respectful distance between them.

 

"A TV? In your room? But I thought Omegas weren't allowed to educate themselves outside of Washington's Omega House..."

 

He didn't seem saddened by such a statement about the misery of his condition, and Thomas tried to ignore his feeling of utter distaste at the little one's association of education with television.

 

"Surely there are other means to educate oneself..." He shrugged, trying to look indifferent, "But I was lucky enough to be born in the correct place..."

 

He tried to avoid the smaller one's eyes, walking back into the pillow carpeted room. There, in the broad light and wide space, he felt more at ease. Calmness slowly regained him, and he barely acknowledged James following him like an excited puppy, staying just far enough to respect his boundaries.

 

"What do you mean? Are there good and bad places to be born in?"

 

Thomas turned back to him, careful to keep his chin down as not to shift back to his Alpha side. He didn't want that gullible little idiot to spread the word that he was the real Thomas Jefferson...

 

"Yes, there are."

 

He tried to keep his response short, but somehow Madison seemed much more confident and cheerful in the safeness and comfort of the Omega Room.

The smaller man simply got to sit on the couch, hugging a yellow pillow close to his chest as his eyes glimmered. He looked like a child, just waiting for his bedtime story.

 

"What is that place you were born in then?" he enquired.

 

Thomas didn't hear that question, for he was too focused on scanning the little man. He didn't quite understand him to be honest, and his science-loving brain couldn’t stand such a lack of information on that supposedly shallow subject.

James was young surely, no more than twenty. Overall, he had all the features of an angel, and his slight chubbiness probably made him softer than a marshmallow cushion. This kind curiosity in his eyes, innocent and interested, carried such a tranquil and peaceful depth that he couldn’t be anything but at least slightly smart. And yet Thomas didn't get it.

 

Why would James look so adorable if he was an infamous whore?

 

This question was hanging around his head, as his silent analysis convinced him that that little man had much more potential. How could a man able to recognize and respect boundaries be a stupid, touch-craving Omega?

 

Cause surely, this man _was_ an Omega. From his smell to his smiles and to the simple white nightgown on his body, there was no doubt about it. But Thomas couldn't conceive it.

 

Or maybe he could, and his distress was only caused by the fact that he just couldn't bring himself to disrespect and despise him. To disrespect and despise an Omega that had qualities which an Alpha, which a Jefferson like him could have.

 

James ended up tilting his head to the side softly.

 

"Thomas?"

 

The tall man blinked, blushing as he realized he had been staring for an awful while now.

 

"S-sorry what did you say?"

 

"I asked you about your birthplace. Say, is it the pillows that trouble you? We asked Alex and Tallmadge to cuddle with us on them while emitting pheromones... Maybe that's why you're dizzy."

 

Thomas looked down, grabbing a green cushion to test this new information. Indeed, they smelled terribly nice, and he felt his heart tightening in pure comfort.

 

Surely he'd be even more soothed had James' statement not added up to his dreadful theory: James was smart. Smarter than any Omega he had ever met. He was able to explain a rational and scientific point, just like an Alpha could. Maybe Thomas had not met enough Omegas in his life to believe James was out of the norm, but _thi_ _s_ was still undoubtedly unnatural.

 

“Y-yeah… I guess...” he sat on the said pillows, eyes widening softly at their absolute squishiness.

 

He could swear he saw James’ gaze glimmering with a tender light, but the Virginian decided not to point it out. Staying calm and collected was the key to stay hidden. He just had to play by the rules…

 

The little man twitched on the couch, respectful enough not to ramble about irrelevant mediocrities. Thomas tried to ignore him, as he had close to no interest in an Omega’s life. A few seconds went by before James spoke again.

 

“You still didn’t answer my question,” he pointed out softly.

 

Thomas looked up, cocking a brow at him. At least, he was reassured to see Madison was stubborn, which was yet another proof of Omegas’ insufferable behaviours. But the way this little black man was just sitting there on a couch, repeating the same idiotic question over and over again while Thomas was sitting crossed-legged on the floor was intolerable.

His muscles slightly tensed, and the stupid Omega didn’t even notice. He stood there, smiling with an almost endearing softness which made Thomas want to choke him into submission. Surely, he’ll like it… That whore…

 

Thomas tensed, unable to refrain some Alpha pheromones from flowing out of his body because of his anger and slight arousal. He growled.

 

“Well maybe it’s simply not of your damn business.”

 

He was tired. Exhausted by yesterday’s emotional roller-coaster, by his own hormonal shift, by his own feelings and his complete, absolute weakness when it came to facing the hardest trials of his life. James seemed startled by the harsh tone, but Thomas was well-aware that it was not so much the voice that surprised him but the actual hormonal shift he failed to conceal. The unstable Alpha looked uneasy, falling back onto the Omega spectrum as soon as his fear overcame his anger. This mistake could cost him his protection and serenity…

James’s eyes had widened in confusion, his jaw dropping softly. Even in this clueless sate, he was unable to look emotionally-driven; the little man’s slight fear almost immediately melted away as he gently tilted his head to the side with more curiosity than actual horror.

 

“Thomas… are you alright?”

 

“Y..yes… I am” he swallowed shakily.

 

Unlike James, Jefferson was slowly panicking, scratching his arm and avoiding his gaze. His heart was beating so fast he was almost sure Madison could hear it. Yet the little man simply nodded, before smiling sheepishly.

 

“I just… Don’t take that the wrong way… but you smelled different for a second...”

 

Thomas tensed more if physically possible. His hormonal system was completely giving up on him, surely because of its increasing instability and Thomas’ numerous emotional blows. Instead of turning coyer than a virgin Omega, stammering useless excuses and faking innocence, he suddenly shifted back drastically, surprising both James and himself.

 

“I’m not going to ask you this twice James, you _stay_ out of this.” he snarled, eyes burning with absolute anger.

 

Thomas could see James holding his breath for a second, gaze shining with fear as it fell on the ground submissively. The Alpha’ stomach got filled with stones as his Omega side reappeared just as fast as it had vanished. He screwed his eyes on the wall next to him, biting his bottom lip to stop it from quivering in shame and fear.

 

“I’m sorry.”

 

The sentence resonated through his body like a final blow to his pride and past life. How many times had even apologized before that day? Close to zero. How many times had he felt shameful or afraid before? Zero too.

He had known anger, sorrow, jealousy, maybe even disgust and pain. But never had he felt such raw self-disappointment, self-doubt… self-hatred. He feared not only the world around him and its new challenges, but also himself, his own instability and weaknesses. Thomas Jefferson was falling apart in front of his own very eyes, as if through some kind of dissociation he could see himself apologizing to nothing less than this pathetic little Omega.

 

And through the misery of his own condition, through this internalized discrimination and classism, he still managed to listen to James’ words and find them heart-warming.

 

“It’s okay Thomas.”

 

Jefferson looked up, eyes wide with confusion and pain, as Madison simply offered him the kindest of smiles. How could he even smile? How could he still look at him without fear nor disgust?

 

“J-James I… This is not what you think...”

 

This time James didn’t even try to believe the lie.

 

“I’ve known all along,” he assured softly. “Alex is not as good a liar as he thinks he is...”

 

It felt like a blow made of feathers, as if a burden had been taken off his shoulders. _It was okay_ , and somehow the words felt true. He had been accepted by this man despite his secret. Accepted by an Omega, despite his despise.

And without realising it, Thomas found himself chuckling softly, James remaining a silent support from his couch. Then the former Alpha gulped, looking down.

 

“So are you going to tell the others…?” he breathed out.

 

Of course he was. James was an Omega; he was close to his Packmates and despite the kind words, he was naturally unable to control his emotions. Jefferson might have been feeling a new “respect” for him, nothing could change Madison’s biological characteristics.

Thomas looked up at the gentle figure, and spotted the curious look on James’ features. Now that he thought about it, Madison was smart and kind. Maybe he’d be sensible enough to understand how Thomas felt…

 

“Why would I?” he enquired.

 

“Well… because you can?”

 

Truth was, Thomas didn’t have any concrete argument, as most of his evidence against Omegas was based on assumptions and stereotypes. He found himself flushing softly upon that realisation, twisting his shirt nervously.

On his side, James simply giggled.

 

“I sure can, but why would I chose to spread a secret that would hurt you?”

 

Thomas looked up softly. He was an angel. A plain, literal angel.

 

“You’re a bit of an over-thinker, aren’t you Thomas?” James chuckled gently, squeezing his pillow.

 

Jefferson couldn’t help but smile, hugging his own cushion.

 

“I guess I am...” he breathed out.

 

They both fell silent for a few seconds, and though Thomas desperately try to comprehend what was going on in James’ mind, he soon realised his psychic abilities couldn’t go past assumptions. The smaller man was gently looking at him, his gaze light so as not to feel like a heavy stare. It felt as if the young Omega could not get mad, could not cross any boundaries thanks to natural empathy. And Thomas couldn’t take that.

 

“Aren’t you gonna ask me why… Why I’m like this?” he finally asked.

 

“Well do you want to talk about it?” James smiled, tilting his head to the side.

 

The question caught Thomas off guard, even though the answer stood out clearly in his head the second after it was enquired. Jefferson obviously didn’t want to talk about it, in a sense that he had grown up being taught that any kind of rant regarding insecurity was a sign of weakness and fragility. But something in Madison’s voice felt like this kind of “desire” wasn’t the one he was talking about. James didn’t care about what society had told Thomas he should want, he only wished to hear about what the fallen Alpha truly felt.

However this thought only stressed Jefferson out more as he couldn’t accept that an Omega could actually have a deeper thinking process, so he settled for a more acceptable explanation: James was surely unable to grasp the concept of social pressure, and the encouraging look in his eyes was surely one of naive stupidity.

 

“Well no, I don’t _want_ nor _need_ to talk about it,” he stressed specifically, “but I surely owe you an explanation...”

 

James frowned softly, before a gentle chuckle agitated his round cheeks. His eyes were bubbling with such kindness that Thomas almost felt bad for him. It had to be so hard to be such an idiotic and dense being…

 

“You don’t owe me anything, Thomas...” he smiled.

 

Jefferson blinked, suddenly realising the meaning of his words as he slowly took back control over his own thoughts. Of course he didn’t owe him anything. James was just an Omega, and you couldn’t have to pay for anything for a being that didn’t possess nor give you anything as a matter of fact. Madison had never helped him, and had he done so Thomas would be no more inclined to be kind to him than to be kind to a stray dog.

However, Thomas’ hormonal system didn’t really allow him to put the small idiot back in his place…

 

“No I mean, yeah… I kind of… yelled at you...” he gulped.

 

The young man wanted to slap himself for such a speech, and he half hoped James would do so too, yet the little Omega simply smiled.

 

“But I’m okay so it’s fine. Don’t worry Thomas I’m not mad at you...”

 

Thomas didn’t get it, and it frustrated him. James should be furious or terrified. He just couldn’t be so calm, while he, Thomas Jefferson, an Alpha, was a stammering ball of nerves.

 

“But why? I… I don’t understand you… I yelled at you with Alpha pheromones, you should be whimpering, cowering away, trembling- I don’t know! You should be feeling something at least! I mean I’m not even supposed to be an Alpha, that should make you confused if not afraid!”

 

“What do you mean?” James simply blinked.

 

“Well… _I_ question things! I’m wondering… like… why you’re so calm about all of this for example, or why you barely reacted to my anger… I just… I-”

 

He marked a short silence, before sighing in defeat.

 

“I wanna talk about it...” he admitted.

 

He felt his cheeks burning with shame for such human weakness, and he avoided the other’s eyes. God he was going to regret this…

James sat up in his seat, oblivious to Thomas’ embarrassment.

 

“Alright. I’m listening.”

 

Thomas took a deep breath. There it was. Come on Thomas, “Alpha up” for a second. It was only an Omega; no matter what he said, Madison’s word would stand no chance against his denial in case the smallest wanted to use it against him.

Plus he needed it. He needed to spill it out to someone who didn’t control his life. Aaron would worry too much, and he was not here for now. He should be, but he wasn’t. He had chosen his perfect job as an Advisor over Thomas’ feelings. Jefferson wasn’t exactly mad against him, but he was definitely hurt. Now, he couldn’t speak to anyone else without stressing about the consequences.

So surely James was the best option for him. A calm, unimportant, stupid Omega that would probably be too moronic to realise such vulnerability from an Alpha was an opportunity for a low cast like him.

The Alpha sighed, then opened his mouth to speak. The feeling of safety he could sense around James had nothing to do with natural cast bonds. He just had to remember that and stay strong.

 

“So-”

 

“Hey James!”

 

The two men looked up to spot Lee walking inside happily. Seabury and Eacker followed right after him, the former resting on the latter’ shoulder.

James immediately smiled, gently exposing his neck as the three men immediately curled against him to pepper kisses all over his dark throat.

On his side, Thomas had shut his mouth, more than annoyed by the Omegas’ sudden appearance. He pressed his pillow tightly, grateful for the Beta pheromones to be stronger than his own earlier emissions.

Charles finally looked up, gasping.

 

“Oh hey Thomas! You’re here too; are you going to work?”

 

James answered faster, despite being currently buried under a bundle of Omegas in white night gowns.

 

“No he isn’t. He’s just here to spend some time with us. However, _you guys_ should prepare yourselves.”

 

The other Omega immediately stopped paying attention to Thomas, pouting angrily at James.

 

“Don’t be such a killjoy Jemmy… You’re not even dressed up either.”

 

The “dominant” Omega sighed, unable to move under Seabury’s cuddles. Thomas would almost find them cute had they not been completely ridiculous. However he found himself facing a slightly annoying situation: his Omega instincts made his skin itch for touch. Not sexual, not romantic: just plain platonic cuddles from his castmates. And that, amongst so many other things apparently, he couldn’t bear.

He hugged his pillow to death, eyes burning on the four others. Eacker had grabbed a comb and was gently brushing Seabury’s hair with a gentle gaze. The redhead was sprawled on James’ chest, half asleep, small moans escaping his lips under the soft touch. He visibly enjoyed the short one’s warm body, and it was understandable given James’ chubby features. He surely felt like a squishy teddy bear, his baby skin giving him a milky, maternal scent very common amongst Omegas.

Thomas shook his head furiously. No. James was surely smelling like stupidity and fat. Nothing more.

 

Lee got back to curl up against James, the pout remaining on his lips.

 

“George, Sammy is gonna fall asleep if you continue...” he whined.

 

“Why, are you jealous?” Eacker teased gently.

 

“No I’m not! But James said we should get prepared...”

 

“But it’s only eight...” Seabury mumbled, still half drooling on James.

 

The chubby Omega was just holding him tightly at this point, letting the three others consider and weigh his advice. Thomas had to admit that was an interesting method. No orders given like an Alpha would do; James had offered a proposition he knew was the best, and left his friends to make up their minds.

This observation allowed Jefferson’s mind to wander away from his instinctive desires for contact. He watched with genuine curiosity, defences slightly falling as the need for cuddles heightened his Omega reflexes.

However smart this method was, it seemed ineffective in this situation, as the three other Omegas just started bickering for James’ attention after two minutes of debate. Madison ended up completely buried under his friends, Lee’s attempt at getting more cuddles bringing him on top of the smaller one’s head.

 

Thomas was just about to enquire about James’ potential lack of access to oxygen when the door opened again, this time on the Schuyler sisters and their friend Maria. All desires for Omega contact vanished as Jefferson tensed, remembering how these four women deceived him. It was all their fault if he had been stuck outside, thus they were also to blame for his encounter with Lafayette and Mulligan, and later on with Washington.

He shivered slightly at the thought of the latter. Oh if only he had never met him…

 

Angelica, just like the other girls, was wearing the same white night-gown as the other Omegas and Thomas. She looked around, apparently much more awaken than her sisters. She spotted Jefferson and immediately got him.

 

“Hey Thomas, how are you?” she started, genuine guilt on her face. “I just wanted to apologize for yesterday… We shouldn’t have lied to you...”

 

Despite the sincerity he could feel in her words, Thomas scooted back when she squatted in front of him. His eyes were burning with anger, remembering all the pain they brought to him.

He stayed silent, breaking eye-contact out of spite. She sighed, the other girls circling around her. Eliza was holding Peggy tight, both girls visibly sorry. Even Whiny-Peggy stayed silent… As for Maria, she had gotten to the other side of the room, slowly picking up pillows.

 

Lee finally looked up, sticking out his tongue.

 

“Looks like he’s still mad, Angie ~~ I told you you’re bad at apologies.”

 

She got up, shooting him a death glare.

 

“Shut up, dick eater.”

 

“You’re an Omega House worker,” he groaned, “You eat dicks too.”

 

She shrugged, getting to sit next to Eacker, who pressed a gentle kiss to her throat. The two other girls also found a place in the Omega cuddle, probably adding to James’ ordeal. Maria soon did the same, putting some pillows on top of the others.

 

At this point, Thomas had lost all trace of anger again. He was just watching them, wondering how they could all fit on the sofa. They seemed so peaceful, and they were surely so warm and soft. His heart tightened with both jealousy and shame, and he just held his cushion to try soothing himself. It was warm too, and smelled like a reassuring Beta.

But it wasn’t enough for him. He truly wished for some human warmth and support, hating himself for such weakness.

 

_Come on Thomas, it’s not the first time you have to deal with your problems on your own…_

 

Yet he wasn’t able to think straight. He just wanted them so close, so bad, so cute… His heart was racing, and he was pretty sure all of his members were shaking slightly. His muscles were completely sore from his tight embrace, and he had to close his eyes to try and refocus.

Come on focus focus focus…

 

It couldn’t be that hard right? Omegas didn’t need affection so bad, did they? He wanted to cry and sob, hating himself more than he had ever did…

Slowly, panic settled in, and through his closed lids he could only see light. Flash and bang.

Abandonment, isolation, loneliness..

Loud tires and bang

Aaron wasn’t here and bang

Scared and alone and please and please and please please please

 

And it happened. The unthinkable, the horror, the downfall.

Thomas let out a soft, small whimper, similar to one of a child. He froze, pretty sure everyone else in the Omega room did too.

He could barely breathe, mind racing to try and find an excuse. Maybe they hadn’t heard, maybe they did, maybe they’d mock me, maybe-

 

“Thomas?”

 

Lee’s voice was soft, comforting. Somehow it managed to give Jefferson enough strength to look up, shiny eyes meeting all the confused glances from the couch. He felt so small, sat on the floor, while they were up there, happy, peaceful, _concerned_. Concerned about him, because he was weak and stupid.

Ah… Maybe he _was_ an Omega after all…

 

Eacker was the first to get up, kneeling a few inches away from him. His eyes were completely focused, scanning him with concern and kindness.

 

“Are you okay?” he breathed out softly.

 

Thomas couldn’t answer. He couldn’t even see himself, but he was sure he looked like a pathetic bundle of nerves on the verge of tears. Somehow, he managed to shake his head softly. He’d have hoped he’d shake it up and down. He’d hoped he was strong enough to show that yes, he was okay.

But he wasn’t, and he shook his head softly, from one side to the other.

 

Charles gulped, turning around to seek advice amongst his peers. The girls had slid down to sit on the floor, looking at Thomas curiously. Eacker and Seabury were against James, one on each side, their eyes full of confusion.

Once again, Jefferson felt like a freak, stared at and humiliated. His shame burned his chest, and he scooted back slightly, eyes screwed on the ground. He didn’t want their pity.

 

Sadly, needing space was a concept most Omegas didn’t understand, and soon Lee was crawling towards him slowly as the unstable man tried to put some distance between them.

 

“It’s okay Thomas,” he gently smiled, “Tell us what’s wrong…”

 

So many, many things were wrong. His body, his feelings, his needs, his fears… Everything wrong…

Thomas’ eyes welled up with tears as he suddenly got stuck, a gigantic pillow preventing him from escaping further away.

Lee stopped a few inches away from him, holding out his hand. Jefferson immediately gasped, muscles trembling as he shut his eyes tight. He didn’t, he didn’t want…

No he… he didn’t want to be touched…

No matter what his instincts begged for, no matter what his body craved. He-

 

The hand slowly brushed his cheek, making him jolt back. It was soft, terribly soft, and it smelled so sweet, so warm. It wasn’t heightening like a Beta’ scent; Omegas smelled like love. Sheer, perfect, pure love. Not one trace of lust remained on the young man’s body, making Thomas’ head throb with confusion. Weren’t Omegas supposed to naturally smell like sinful embraces? He didn’t get it, and honestly he was in no state to think further.

His neck muscles instinctively relaxed, his head resting against the sickeningly sweet hand. His eyes closed themselves on their own, and his sore, terrified body just tensed down. Even the overarching terror was swept away with one long sigh of relief.

 

Lee immediately beamed at the reaction, looking behind him to smile proudly at James. The young dominant Omega nodded softly, his calm eyes scanning Thomas for any sign of discomfort.

Reassured by their new Packmate’s reaction, the others slowly made their way towards Thomas, smiling happily. James stopped them with a calm smile.

 

“Don’t stress him out too much; he’s not used to group cuddles...”

 

Peggy turned around, a confused pout on her lips.

 

“What? But this is so sad… And I mean look James, he needs some huggies...”

 

James smiled, getting to his feet to go and press a kiss to her forehead.

 

“You are right, he does. But that doesn’t mean he cannot get overwhelmed.”

 

Madison was a sensible being. He knew Thomas’ main fear of physical affection came from his current unstable mind, which is why he made sure the other Omegas remained careful while helping their new friend overcoming his pains. Only Lee and Eliza nuzzled against him, while the four others simply curled up against each other at his feet.

As for James, he got back to his seat on the sofa, legs neatly folded like a toddler as he watched protectively over his dear Packmates. Making sure they felt loved and safe was a role he cared about more than about himself…

He didn’t try to go and hug Thomas too, as he knew it would be too stressful for the other for another reason. James knew Jefferson was aware that the other Omegas were cuddly, and had no sense of physical boundaries. But he also knew that the former Alpha felt safer with him, as Madison knew how to respect one’s privacy. Cuddles from Lee and the others were something that Thomas could accept as normal and unstoppable. Cuddles from James would be a crossed line, the loss of someone who truly understood and respected him. A safe space turned unstable too.

 

Madison guessed it right, as Thomas was completely torn apart at the moment. All these hugs were perfect, just enough to reassure him without being overwhelming. However, he couldn’t help but be filled with anguish, keeping his eyes closed not to see them. He was being embraced by Omegas, and he had a terrible time accepting it…

Yet they were so soft and warm. Eliza was gently rubbing his chest, Lee nuzzling in his neck. Their presence felt like heaven on Earth, and Thomas could even feel the other Omegas’ soft breaths and warmth at his feet.

 

They could have stayed like this for hours, Jefferson getting used to them, coming to terms with their cuddles and accepting himself. Yet, the silent growth happening in the room was suddenly broken as the door flew open once again.

 

The Omegas’ heads all turned towards the entrance, shiny eyes scanning the newcomer with slight confusion. The man was tall, unusual for a member of this cast, light-skinned, with a strong chin and forehead and piercing blue eyes that literally smirked at the others. By all means, this was an Omega with such unspoken charisma that not a single person in the room dared to greet him.

 

Thomas looked up softly, forgetting about the warm bodies around him to focus on the stranger. His heart clenched softly at the sight: this Omega was a dominant one, probably taller than him, and surely not as gentle James. He was another threat, just another danger adding itself to his panic in the middle of a storm of emotions.

 

“Greetings,” the man smiled with a soft British voice, “It’s a pleasure to meet you. My name is John Graves Simcoe, and I’ll be working with you from now on.”

 

Jefferson unconsciously pressed Eliza closer, eyes burning with what he hoped was defiance. To his surprise, the Asian woman however smiled at the newcomer, as did all the other Omegas. They got up more or less quickly, some offering Simcoe a seat and others simply getting to kiss his neck as their first confusion disappeared.

The new Omega was simply grinning, accepting their touch and returning it with complete self-control. He was in no way as thrilled to greet them as they were to meet a new Packmate, and Thomas wasn’t sure how he felt about it.

 

He should feel safer now that he wasn’t the single newcomer, just like he should be relieved not to be the centre of attention anymore. However, Jefferson couldn’t help but stare at him, holding his pillow tightly now that the others had let go of him. Lee, Eacker and Seabury were nuzzled against one another on a sofa, the latter buried in between his two friends. The Schuyler sisters had settled for a huge yellow cushion, starting to braid each other’s hair so as not to be late when time would come for them to actually prepare themselves for the day. Maria sat on a cosy armchair, holding her knees as she observed the others silently.

 

“So where do you come from?” Lee asked from his place on the couch.

 

Simcoe smiled calmly, staring at him. Thomas couldn’t grasp why, but something was off. The smile was fake, too courteous, and the eyes too cold, scanning and judging them as if they were mere puppets. He kept silent, listening closely.

 

“I am an offspring of our dear mother England I dare say,” he chuckled gently. “I had assumed your Betas would have told you about me...”

 

“They usually only tell the mentor in charge of the new ones,” Peggy explained with a sigh. “But we didn’t get a chance to ask James about you...”

 

The older man raised his brows, and Thomas only shivered more at the sight of his piercing blue eyes. Everything was fake about him… And none of the Omegas seemed to notice it.

 

“James? Who is that?”

 

Madison was still sat on his couch, raising his hand with a kind smile.

 

“It is me, I will be your mentor for your first weeks of work...”

 

Simcoe turned to him, a smile spreading further on his lips as he made his way towards the couch. Thomas had to stop himself from jumping forward to stop him, a strange feeling of panic settling in his chest. That man was dangerous. He was in his early thirties at least, and much, much taller than James. He had no right to approach him…

However, the Omega simply sat next to James, slowly pressing a lengthy kiss on his neck. The little man seemed caught slightly off guard as Simcoe hadn’t greeted back any of his Packmates, yet he threw his head back submissively. As the kiss stretched, a soft moan escaped his lips, his eyes fluttering close while he instinctively spread his legs a little bit.

 

Simcoe finally let go, smirking proudly at the small yet dark bruise on his mentor’s neck. James was left slightly dishevelled, chest heaving a bit under both surprise and arousal.

 

“It is my greatest honour to meet you,” the older man smiled, “I am sure I won’t disappoint you...”

 

The little Omega hummed dismissively, trying to keep a calm smile despite his obviously avoiding eyes. None of the Omegas seemed to notice it, as they started throwing dozens of questions at the newcomer, who answered each of them with natural ease. Only Thomas’ heart beat faster at the sight of Madison getting submissive in front of a fellow Omega. James should be the “dominant” one. James should be the quiet never-failing support that Thomas so desperately needed. And right at this moment, Jefferson could see him struggling. Struggling to recollect himself, to understand what happened, to keep a peaceful facade. And the fallen Alpha felt his throat drying up in stress.

One thing was sure: this Omega needed to back the fuck off.

 

Simcoe finally smiled calmly, turning to Eacker.

 

“So, George is that right? What kind of positions can you do?”

 

The question caught him off guard, and he blinked softly before answering.

 

“What do you mean?”

 

“Well, this is an Omega House right? I should be able to know what my co-workers usually perform so I can adapt myself to the customers’ needs right?”

 

Eacker shifted uncomfortably in his seat, sharing a nervous glance with Eliza from across the room. Thomas felt anger crawling on his skin. This was an obscene question, no matter what cast they belonged to.

 

“I… I mean I do most of the stuff I’m asked to offer, you know?”

 

“And what do they ask?”

 

“The customers? Oh um… it depends… Sometimes they just want to grab a drink...”

 

Simcoe raised a brow, chuckling again. As if they were all inferior to him. As if they were preys.

 

“Oh I’m not talking about those kind of services, dear Georgie ~~”

 

Eacker’s face flushed softly, and he laid dark eyes on the couch, unable to hold his gaze any longer. At this point, most of the Omegas were clueless, staring at Simcoe without understanding why he was behaving in such a nosy way.

Thomas’ throat was dry with anger, and yet he was unable to shift back to his Alpha side. Every inch of contempt within his body was contained by a powerful, unbreakable feeling of vulnerability. This Simcoe inspired him only dread and anger, making the unstable Alpha unable to predict his own behaviour. Did he manage to get mad at James only because of his naturally coy instincts? Was Simcoe too charismatic for Jefferson to appear dominant?

He couldn’t tell, and his weakened state only allowed him to hate the man without being able to act up.

 

The new Omega smiled at the little circle of men and women.

 

“Am I mistaken? Is that not a thing you do in that Omega House? Cause that is definitely not what your Alpha told me when he bought me.”

 

“It is...” Angelica gulped, pressing her sisters close, “We just… don’t really talk about it when we are together...”

 

Seabury nodded approvingly, visibly uncomfortable. The others simply exchanged confused glances, Lee even looking at James for an explanation. The little man was still lost in sheer confusion, staring at Simcoe without attempting to clarify the situation.

Suddenly, the Omegas were without their diplomatic leader, and Thomas could definitely feel that the tension in the room was increasing madly.

 

“Well then,” Simcoe chuckled gently, “I must admit I never thought such a topic would be sensitive amongst people of our profession...”

 

As no one dared to speak, he deemed it acceptable to continue.

 

“See I come from a place where subjects related to love-making are natural, as it is of course our main purpose. I must say however that I am surprised to see that Washington’s infamous Omega House proposes timid workers, with close to no physical strength. Tell me, how do you survive knife plays?”

 

His words were followed by a silence only broken by the screams of confusion and fear that you could read in the Omega’s eyes. James himself made himself smaller than ever, eyes dark.

Thomas felt his pulse rushing; what games now?

 

The newcomer burst out laughing at the visible stress he had created amongst his peers. The noise startled Peggy and Seabury, but only managed to make Jefferson grow angrier. His Alpha instincts were still buried deep, yet he couldn’t help but feel a dry hatred grow in his lungs.

 

“You should see your faces!” the British man barked, “It’s hilarious! Haven’t you ever heard of BDSM, dear companions? It’s very demanded by Alphas, you should think about broadening your range of activities ~”

 

Angelica opened her mouth to speak, outraged, but Thomas was faster. He glared coldly at the new Omega, eyes burning with such anger that his efforts of self-control were obvious to those who knew he was a former Alpha. James immediately saw it, concern and sadness shining in his nervous eyes as he remained unable to stand up for himself and his friends. Jefferson spoke with such hidden anger that his pheromones remained those of an Omega, and only his cold voice and gaze were dripping with repugnance.

 

“Your comments are gross, Simcoe. You shouldn’t engage on such conversations on your first day...”

 

The Omegas turned around, wide eyes scanning the Virginian. Simcoe’s gaze sparked with interest, a wide smirk spreading on his lips. There was something about Thomas that made him conscious of his difference. Jefferson was standing out amongst his peers, in the same way that the British man did.

Simcoe turned to him, chuckling gently.

 

“Gross? I’m only sharing with my co-workers ~~ We are bonding.”

 

Thomas remained silent, only raising his chin to keep himself from turning too coy. This man was obviously unimpressed, and he feared his sudden boldness might disappear if the other continued.

Jefferson let out a soft groan, averting his eyes.

 

“Now now ~~” the new one went on, “You’re lucky I got here. I’m gonna be able to teach you how to be a proper Omega...”

 

The others tensed, looking at each other nervously as Simcoe got up, stumbling a bit on some pillows. His face contorted into a disapproving scowl.

 

“Tchh… So many cushions… You little sweeties are privileged, aren’t you? I can’t believe you have been pampered for your whole lives; you definitely need some guidance.”

 

He walked over the sea of textures, arriving next to Maria’s armchair. She looked up, eyes slowly lighting up with confusion. Simcoe towered over her, a gentle smile on his face.

 

“Have you ever tried BDSM, sweetheart?”

 

She gulped, scooting a bit away in her seat. Yet, before she could even answer, he slapped her.

Hard, fast, simple. The clap barely resonated, muted by the dozens of cushions. Maria gasped and held her reddening cheek, her eyes widening in fear and pain.

The other Omegas stared at her in utter confusion, Seabury letting out a squeak as he held on tighter to Lee. The sisters couldn’t do anything but glare, Peggy bringing a hand to her mouth as her eyes filled with tears.

Only Thomas jumped up, immediately taking large steps towards the Omega. Even if he despised this cast, Simcoe had crossed a limit now.

 

“HEY!” he snapped, eyes burning.

 

The newcomer turned around calmly, a wide smirk on his lips. Amongst the terrified Omegas’ scent, a new smell, stronger and more threatening, spread itself in the room: Alpha pheromones.

James was still curled on the couch, staring at the two men trying to tower above each other with wide eyes. The scent assaulted his nostrils, making butterfly of arousal flutter in his stomach. He closed his legs, controlling himself. Surely Thomas’ protective behaviour had achieved to awaken his instincts again.

The little Omega looked up, heart tensing with terror. Oh he’d have wished he was right about it…

Thomas’ eyes had widened madly, terror filling them up as his shoulders plopped. The man was completely frozen, occasionally shaking and thus betraying his fear. There was no doubt about it: he was still an Omega.

Which meant the dominant smell belonged to…

 

“What a heroic reaction ~~ But it looks like you’re trembling, little Omega ~~”

 

Simcoe’ sickeningly sweet voice made Jefferson tense even more, as the taller man leaned in to press a kiss to his neck. James’ eyes widened and he tried to get up. He could see the other Omegas shaking behind him, Angelica standing between the threat and her sisters, as Lee was shakily ready to protect Eacker and Seabury, all muscles tensed. Madison took a deep breath: he needed to stop cowering and protect them at all costs. It wasn’t Thomas’ role.

Slowly, he went to grab Maria’s hand, guiding her towards a safer spot on a couch near Seabury and the others. He gently dried her tears, pressing a kiss to her forehead, before returning to the two taller men.

 

“Please… Please guys settle down...” he asked in his usual soft voice, his shiny eyes only betraying his nervousness.

 

He couldn’t add another word, as Simcoe pushed him back into the couch violently, earning a breathy gasp from the smaller man. That was when Thomas lost it, jumping on the new Alpha, clawing his shirt in an attempt to pin him to the ground. Simcoe growled lowly, grabbing his waist to steady himself as he swept his legs, both men rolling to the ground in a ball of groans and muscles.

The others gasped, begging Thomas to stop and be careful. James stared at them, dumbfounded and more than terrified for them both.

The fray went on, Simcoe suddenly standing on top. Thomas fought back like a devil, squirming with such violence it was impressive he didn’t even hurt his own muscles. A smirk grew on Simcoe’s lips, as his hand went to grab Jefferson’s crotch.

 

The other man gasped, moaning in both pain and pleasure, as his movements stopped dead in their track under the surprise. The British man immediately took this opportunity to slam his head against the hard ground.

Thomas lost his breath, eyes clouding for a second as stars flashed before his eyes.

White. Flash. BANG

 

He cried out, yanking himself forward and sinking his teeth in the other’ shoulder. The Alpha let out a loud scream, anger and pain melting into it and flooding through his pheromones. The scent assaulted the terrified Omegas, and they cried out, most of them bursting into tears. Eliza and Peggy grabbed their sister, pulling her away and hiding in her hair as she was herself struggling to breathe. Lee let out a long whimper, unable to stand up for his friends anymore as he nuzzled against their trembling figures. James’ heart skipped a beat, exhaling shakily as he tried to reach out for Thomas. Oh Lord have mercy on them…

 

Jefferson did not go unaffected. He was still completely Omega, desperately trying to shift into an Alpha since the beginning of the fight, but unable to do so. Each blow had been directed by the sole force of despair and fear, and Simcoe’ scream hit him so hard he let out a cry, the bitter taste of blood and flesh remaining in his mouth.

 

The Alpha flipped him over and slammed his head against a pillow. A hand on his neck, the British man rested his whole body weight on this particular spot.

Thomas immediately tried to free himself, cries of terror escaping his lips, muted by the cushions that were slowly suffocating him. The monster put his other hand on the lower part of his back to stop him from squirming, and a sharp pain made him lose what he had left of breath: he had almost forgotten about his hips, and now the pain and lack of air were slowly condemning him.

 

“Y-You little piece of shit...” Simcoe spat through gritted teeth, “I’m gonna fuck you until you pass out… Come on stop squirming, I’m teaching you about the choking kink ~~” he added with a twisted smile.

 

His eyes were burning with bliss and madness: he was fully enjoying this. All hope had gone, the gentle ambiance in the Omega room replaced by one of sheer terror.

 

At this very moment, the door flew open, and Tallmadge’s face appeared, slowly twisting with confusion and horror.

 

“Oh… Oh my god… Oh fuck SIMCOE LET HIM GO!” he screamed out, throwing himself on the Alpha-scented Omega.

 

The British man fought back, lip bleeding out from biting on it too hard out of sadistic bliss. Tallmadge’s eyes were wide, as if stuck like this from the sudden shock, and he pulled on Simcoe’s hair, yanking his head backward while using his other arm to push him away by his waist.

 

Thomas’s head reappeared from the pillow, eyes wide with terror, and he took a long gulp of air, coughing hardly immediately afterwards.

Tallmadge held the violent Alpha tightly, looking over at Maria with burning eyes.

 

“Go and fetch Alex and Burr! NOW!” he ordered, the small woman nodding shakily, escaping the room with tearful eyes.

 

James immediately made his way towards Thomas, hesitating for a second as he kneeled beside him. He knew he shouldn’t touch him but…

He didn’t have the time to bite his lips in concern that the other Virginian threw himself on him, burying his face in his neck. Terror had destroyed all common sense within him…

Madison froze, hugging back softly as he felt Jefferson’s rapid breathing and slight shaking against him.

 

Tallmadge managed to throw Simcoe in one of the closest rooms, chest heaving from the effort.

 

“I’m gonna deal with him… Tell… Tell the two others that he won’t be available for today...” he breathed out, walking in and closing the door after himself.

 

The room fell silent, heavy with fear and incomprehension. The unthinkable had happened as an Alpha had managed to threaten them into their safe space, staining their cushions with pheromones of anger and soaking them in their own fear. Most of them had barely known any kind of Alpha danger for years, protected and cared for in this privileged household.

For Thomas, it was even worse. An Alpha, one of his own, attacked him, making him feel weaker than he had ever been.

 

And there he was, hugging his terror away in the coyest Omega on Earth’s arms. The rock bottom he had hit so long ago was now crumbling under his feet, and nothing could have prepared him for such a fall. What was beneath this large stone? He didn’t want to know…

Only time would tell him if the sun was to shine on his name and pride again.

 

As the door flew open once more, Beta pheromones invaded his nostrils and mind.

Aaron. It was Aaron. Finally. Thomas barely noticed him, mind clouded by pain and exhaustion. He saw a blurred figure kneeling next to James, and both the dark skinned men melted into brownish stains as he was slowly drifting away. Their pheromones mixed up into an intoxicating scent of love and softness, and a careful hand took his.

 

He wasn’t sure if it was Aaron’s or James’, and somehow it didn’t matter. His eyes closed slowly, all doubts and fears erasing themselves as if these two men were all that he needed to finally rest.

 

 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Does anybody remember when I said I'll start to post one chapter every two weeks? Lmaaoooo 
> 
> I'M SO SORRY SCHOOL SUDDENLY BECAME OVERWHELMING I COULDN'T WRITE
> 
> But don't think I didn't work: I reorganized all of my ideas and my timeline, so now I'M MORE READY THAN EVER
> 
> So this chapter is sweet... kinda? It's happening during the talk between Alex and Burr in the Beta Room if you didn't get it (or don't remember it lolol)
> 
> By the way I hit 100 pages on Word, this fanfiction is gonna be so long I swear
> 
> AS USUAL thank you for reading AND commenting ! Constructive criticism appreciated 
> 
> Tell me what you think about this new character, and of course, what do you think will happen next? (btw did you guys notice how I finally inserted the fanfic's title in the text lololol I'm lowkey proud of that)
> 
> I hope I'll be able to post more often (my exams are coming up though so this time I don't promise anything BUT I'M DETERMINED TO FINISH THIS FANFIC... even if I think it will be veryyyyy long)
> 
> See you all ~~ :3


	9. Debating Skills

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Alexander and Burr finally understand what has happened in the Omega Room, and Alex needs to share a word or two with his father.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> TRIGGER WARNING: swearing/ mention of abuse/ mention of sex/ mention of sexual abuse/ mention of PTSD

“Snap out of it, Aaron!”

 

Aaron barely reacted to Hamilton’s words. Maria’s tears had left her unable to form correct sentences, and she clung to Alexander as if her life depended on it. The Caribbean man gulped; passed the initial shock of the young woman’s announce, his instincts had naturally tuned down as he was confronted to an Omega’s anguish, allowing him to analyse the threat and support Maria.

But Hamilton could clearly see that something was wrong with Aaron’s reaction: his naturally heightened instincts had kicked in more violently and lengthily than his own, and the Beta’s eyes had darkened in such a way that Alex could only think about the worse. Burr was not releasing any pheromone to reassure Maria, nor was he inclined to speak. Had Hamilton been completely stupid, he’d have misinterpreted this emotional shutdown for a sign of fear or hormonal sickness. But he knew that no chemical other than love was messing with his friend’s judgement right now.

 

“You won’t help him if you act mindlessly...” he thus added, voice calmer and more sensible as he stopped Aaron with a hand on his chest.

 

The Beta froze, slightly shaking as he threw him a fearful gaze. His fists turned into tight balls and he nodded, throat pulsing with his own shallow breathing and heavy hard pounding.

Alexander nodded, reassured to see his friend regaining control over himself. He turned towards the Omega Room’s door, taking a deep breath.

He scrunched up his nose with a hiss as a furious Alpha’ smell invaded his nostrils, and he pushed Maria behind himself so he could protect her.

 

“There’s an Alpha in there...” he growled lowly.

 

Hamilton saw Burr nodding, but he was not convinced his Packmate had completely understood the meaning of his words. Any sensible Beta would have immediately tensed up at the threat, their naturally sharp reasoning skills allowing them to think about any danger or outcome regarding the situation.

But Aaron looked perfectly calm, dark eyes screwed on the door as he still had enough sense to wait for Hamilton before barging in. The Caribbean man frowned, gulping as he turned to Maria.

 

The brown haired girl was still shivering, but only her reddened cheeks betrayed her dried tears. She looked up with sorrowful hazel eyes, chewing on her swollen bottom lip as she sniffled. The Beta cupped her cheeks, heart shattering as she nuzzled into his hands in search of comfort.

 

“Maria, my doll, I need you to listen to me,” he whispered gently, leaning in to rub his nose against hers, “If the Alpha’s gone, you may enter and start reassuring your Packmates if you feel like it. If they are still inside, I want you to run as fast as possible to warn Washington. Do you understand me?”

 

She nodded, lip wobbling softly at the thought. Alexander finally sighed, turning around to face the second issue: Aaron was still more tensed than a guitar’s cords. He gulped and walked to stand beside him, scanning his face in search of any trace of response. But the young man’s focus seemed unbreakable as he stared at the door, waiting for a single word from Alex to kick it open.

 

Alexander straightened up, nodding.

 

“Let’s go...” he groaned lowly.

 

Aaron reacted almost immediately, turning the doorknob with much more caution than Hamilton would have thought, before pushing the door. The bright light of the Omega Room flooded the red carpeted corridor as the two Betas walked inside, squinting their eyes.

 

Hamilton’s breath caught in his throat. Never in his life had he seen his Omegas in such a state of stress and terror, and the impact on his poor Beta heart was truly damaging. The Schuyler sisters were cuddled against one another, Angelica biting her lips violently to stop her tears from pouring. Her cheeks were soaked, and a fire of anger and fear was burning in her dark eyes as she hugged Eliza and Peggy with trembling arms in a corner of the room. Eacker’s eyes were wider than ever, as if they were frozen in that position. His face was blank except for those fearful orbs, and he pressed Lee’ shaking figure so hard against his chest that it was difficult to tell which one of them was the most terrified. Seabury was clinging to them as if his life depended on it, occasional whimpers escaping his lips and breaking the petrified silence of the room. In the middle of this battlefield, amongst torn pillows and bloody stains, laid Thomas, passed out in James’ arms. The smaller man was holding him silently, rocking the tear-soaked figure of the broken Alpha with grief-stricken eyes. He looked up, a sorry tear dripping down his cheek as he spotted the two Betas.

 

The Alpha-scented room was telling a story which would be as unbearable to tell as to hear.

And the Omega House was to open in exactly twenty three minutes from that moment.

 

Alexander barely had time to process the information that Burr was kneeling next to Thomas and James, holding the Alpha’s hand. He gulped, judging it was unnecessary to join them, so he focused on the rest of the Pack. He knelt in the middle of the two bundles of sobbing Omegas, gently gesturing them to approach.

 

Peggy immediately reacted, rushing towards him and pressing herself against his chest. He welcomed her with a kind smile, rubbing her back gently as he emitted pheromones. The Beta felt her tensing down in his embrace, and soon Seabury hugged him from behind, burying his face in the crook of his neck. Alexander smiled, raising a hand to rub his head.

These two were the most trusting and gentle Omegas, in a more innocent way than James. Their protection-seeking nature had turned them into a support to their Packmates, as their trust allowed the others to move forward. Seeing Peggy and Samuel so calm and peaceful against Alex soon allowed Eliza to make her way towards the Beta with a sheepish smile, eyes shining with sorrow. She was firmly holding Angelica’s hand, both women kneeling next to Hamilton as they stayed close to their younger sister.

 

“Thank you...” she breathed out, smiling weakly as she pressed a kiss to the Caribbean man’s cheek.

 

The Beta nodded, holding the three women close as Maria added herself to the embrace. Soon enough, Eacker and Lee joined them, the Omegas relishing in Alexander’s reassuring scent.

 

He pressed them terribly close to his heart, throat dried by anguish. Most of these men and women he had known since his youngest age. The thought of them suffering, of them being threatened… It tore him apart, and it melted his hope into a dark Damocles sword that only awaited for a crack to stab his plans through the heart.

 

How could he advocate for Omega rights if he was biased? How could he convince Alphas of their humanity if they were unable to stand up for themselves? Did he even had a right to speak, as a simple loud-mouthed Beta?

 

All of these questions wouldn’t have bothered his usual quick-minded self, but despite being much less sensitive to Omega pheromones than Aaron, Alexander was in no state to think about anything else than the abysmal state of his companions. He was fighting back hot tears of stress, anger and shame, fingers tangled in Seabury and Maria’s hair as he bit his lip to the blood.

 

Surely his ragged breathing would have ended up consuming his last bit of strength had it not been for a sweet, gentle voice coming from the centre of the room. Hamilton looked up, haggard gaze seeking the source of such a tender tone.

 

With greater surprise than one would have expected, he found that voice to be belonging to James. Stepping back, he’d probably think of himself as a fool for feeling the slightest hint of confusion upon that discovery; who else than his dear dominant Omega could have healed his broken hope in a second?

 

The little man was still sitting on the floor amongst the disembowelled pillows in his white and thin Omega nightgown. On his lap, he was gently petting Thomas’ head, the tall Alpha lying unconscious next to him. Jefferson was in a poor state, his purple complexion contrasting with his usually sun kissed skin. The strangulation had left him unconscious, stuck in a restless sleep which would only bring him a terrible headache when he was to wake up.

 

Alexander soon managed to focus on the actual action, eyes narrowing slowly as his attention made him forget about his desperation. James was talking to Aaron, in a very quiet voice that Hamilton could only hear because of the mournful silence of the room.

 

Burr was sat just across James, holding Thomas’ hand. His eyes were focused on the unconscious man, only darting up to Madison from time to time. The Omega’s behaviour was similar to his, in every aspect but his apparent tension.

James had a peaceful smile on his lips, and only his kind eyes were veiled by a thin cloud of sorrow that betrayed the shock he had just been through. Aaron was stiffer looking than him, his gaze still as dark as earlier and voice so low and tensed that Hamilton’s heart clenched in his chest.

 

He could only hear the low whispers, unable to comprehend a word of what the two dark skinned men were saying. James’ voice was a kind, gentle hum, his eyes focused on Thomas in a tender, protective gaze. Alexander couldn’t help but smile at that sight; James had always been such a naturally caring person.

On the other hand, Aaron’s empty, dark eyes were screwed onto the shivering sleeper, following James’ repetitive hand strokes with an almost threatening insistence.

 

Hamilton gulped, eyes fluttering from one to the other. There was no doubt that James’ intentions were nothing but pure, but he knew Aaron’s sense was blurred by strong feelings.

Any Beta would know an Omega was naturally caring towards their Castmates, and even more so towards their Packmates. Only two possibilities remained, reassuring Alex a little: either Aaron would be able to recognize James’ behaviour was platonic and natural, either his high Beta instincts would stop him from threatening the Omega. There was no way on Earth Aaron would think otherwise…

 

Hamilton gulped, keeping his fingers crossed as he watched over the trio. His own Omegas were begging for his attention with cheeky kisses and little groans, squirming against him. He hushed them by pressing them closer, only earning a frustrated cry from Lee before the recovering Omegas fell silent and peaceful again.

 

He watched as Aaron finally looked up, eyes still unusually dull, and emitted some pheromones at last. Alexander felt himself relaxing at the sight, glad to see Burr was still sensible enough to perform his duty.

 

James visibly tensed down too, eyes darkening as the weak smile disappeared from his lips. His hand froze on Thomas’ cheek, as the unconscious man stopped shaking once he felt the hormonal wave.

 

Aaron got up at once, Alexander frowning: he had two visibly shaken Omegas in front of him, what was he doing?

 

But the Beta simply made his way towards James, sitting next to him and pulling the shorter man into his lap. He wrapped his arms around his waist, making sure Madison was still holding Thomas close.

 

Alexander blinked, eyes widening. The other Omegas were much too exhausted and cosy to notice, but he was beyond surprised.

A visibly jealous man like Aaron hugging the person that was taking care of his crush? Well that was unexpected…

 

James seemed just as surprised, as his eyes widened softly and his mouth gaped into a silent gasp. Then the hint of sadness reappeared in his eyes, and the little man nuzzled against Burr, inhaling sharply his scent as he pressed Thomas close.

 

Hamilton smiled; this small Omega had the bad habit of concealing his feelings to take care of others, and Aaron had managed to see through his mask. He shouldn’t have expected anything less from someone with such high instincts, but still, he couldn’t help but be proud of him.

Aaron was truly learning how to be an Advisor in charge of Omegas, and he was able to master his own feelings to take care of an Omega in distress.

 

Alexander watched them silently, holding his dolls close. James and Thomas, both asleep by now, had unconsciously shifted to be closer to Aaron, curled up against him tenderly. They were adorable, barely snoring, their dark curls falling onto their peaceful faces. And Aaron, although still lost in his obvious anger, was doing a perfect job at emitting pheromones and making sure they were comfortable.

 

Alexander took a deep breath, closing his eyes to rest against the other Omegas. Now that everything was under control, it was only a matter of time before the whole room was filled with Beta pheromones and cushions covered in the Omega-reassuring scent. To him, nothing was more gratifying than protecting his little Pack, and even so they were not branded Omegas, he still considered them family.

 

His brows furrowed, and he opened his eyes to look around, slightly confused. Both Aaron and him had smelt the presence of an Alpha, and the traces of struggle in the room proved that there had been a fray within it. However, the place was empty when they got in, only the terrified Omegas remaining inside.

 

Was the Alpha still there? Should they try to warn the other staff members?

 

Hamilton considered asking one of the Omegas about it, but most of them were slowly dozing off in his arms, finally at peace after their great stress. He didn’t find the strength to wake them up to talk about the past event, so he just kept scanning the room, trying to find a clue or a potential threat. It was his duty, after all. Protecting Washington’s Omegas at all cost, and making sure they were peaceful.

 

Alexander did not have to search for long, as one of the closet doors flew open, slamming itself into the wall as Tallmadge barged out of the enclosed space. He was panting, his shirt torn open uncovering scratched abs and stomach. The unusually messy looking man was dragging another tall male by his shirt’s collar, eyes burning and jaw stiffer than ever. The other one’s gaze was cloudy, and he was following him with silent submission.

 

Hamilton immediately recognized the signs of a freshly taken Omega, from his unfocused eyes to his crumpled clothes. He knew that man was John Graves Simcoe, the new Omega, but it didn’t explain why he was in such a state, nor why he was wearing regular clothing. A white shirt and leather black pants, very unusual for Omega Houses workers, which were supposed to either wear their sparkly sexy work suits or their white nightgowns. Where had he even found these?

 

Alexander frowned, confused as to why Tallmadge had to take him despite the Omega House opening in less than thirty minutes. He was about to ask him about it when he felt the other Omegas tense next to him. Lee buried his face against Eacker, the sisters immediately curling against a softly whimpering Maria. A bit further, Aaron looked up, pressing James and Thomas closer as he noticed the Omegas’ behaviour too.

 

Benjamin let out a quiet sigh when he spotted the two Betas, and he pulled Simcoe towards the entrance.

 

“Alex, come with me…” he ordered calmly, walking out with no further explanation.

 

Hamilton gulped, nodding as he apprehended the conversation. Was Simcoe injured? Was Tallmadge there during the fray? Did he know where the Alpha has gone?

 

He got up, a hand grabbing his barely a second after he moved. The woman who was pulling him back had such fear and concern in her proud dark eyes that you could see how reluctant to admit her distress she was, and she was Angelica.

It struck Alexander like a winter wind, and for a second the draught took his breath away.

The strong, gorgeous, amazing Angelica was silently begging for him to stay, and her reaction only opened his eyes on the whole situation: all the Omegas had tensed madly as Tallmadge and Simcoe had entered the room, and while some were looking at him with all the distress in the world, the others were glaring at the British Omega with wide nervous eyes.

 

Alexander gulped and smiled at her weakly, shaking his head not to overthink too much. Why did they all become so afraid suddenly? There was no Alpha in sight…

He spared Angelica the shame of making her beg for his comfort, and gently rubbed her cheek.

 

“I’ll be back soon; stay with Aaron my dolls,” he said with an encouraging smile.

 

She nodded dryly, pressing the other female Omegas close as much to reassure them as to reassure herself.

 

Alexander finally followed the two other men after making sure Aaron was aware that he was leaving for a bit. The other Beta simply nodded, pressing the thankfully still asleep Omegas close to his chest.

 

Hamilton stayed behind, trying to figure out what had happened thanks to his overly creative brain. It was unusual for Benjamin to be so tensed and dark eyed, especially in the presence of Omegas. Alexander had only seen Simcoe once, the day just before, and it was too early for him to tell if his behaviour was out of the ordinary or not.

From what he could observe and smell, Tallmadge had had sex with him, given the Beta’ slightly alpha-oscillating Spectrum and Simcoe’s cloudy eyes and submissive unsteady stance.

 

The real question remained why Tallmadge had decided to take an Omega, a new one, only a few dozens of minutes before the beginning of the day’ shift? And with an Alpha roaming around the Omegas?

He couldn’t wrap his head around it, and the frustration only made him stress more.

 

Hamilton was already tapping his foot anxiously as they entered the Nursery area, Tallmadge taking them both to the furthest room on the opposite of Aaron and Thomas’ side.

The Caribbean man closed the door after them, watching eagerly as Simcoe plopped on the bed. Benjamin threw a white nightgown on the bed, inspecting the room as the Heat Protocol required it. No dangerous items should be left with an unstable and unsupervised Omega. He got to one of the walls, opening a small box with an ocular scan, before tugging on a handle. Hamilton frowned: Simcoe was not in heat, why did his colleague feel the need to activate the Protocol?

He didn’t have time to ask, asTallmadge immediately checked his own MAP, and Alexander assumed he registered Simcoe as an Omega unsuited for work for the day. Soon enough, the Omega’s device made a short beep sound before turning red.

 

The Beta then looked up, eyes shining for a second as if he was realizing just now that Alexander was in the room. The other man gulped, saddened to see in friend in such a distraught state; Benjamin was usually so focused and calm…

 

Soon enough, Simcoe fell asleep, exhausted from the mating, and the two Betas exited the room. Tallmadge locked the door with one of rooms’ keys, before sighing briefly.

Alexander couldn’t help but crack a soft smile, tiptoeing to press a kiss to his neck.

The other Beta immediately smiled, tensing down a little. He turned towards his co-worker, shaking his head.

 

“Thank God you came…” he breathed out.

 

“I wish we could have arrived faster,” Hamilton replied bitterly, crossing his arms.

 

They had arrived after the whole scene, only able to help the Omegas through the aftermath. Surely nothing compared to what Tallmadge must have faced…

 

The older Beta sighed again, slowly arranging his hair to impede any more anxiety-driven movements.

 

“You managed to soothe the Omegas, that’s more than enough. I couldn’t have done it on my own, especially considering what I had to do…”

 

Alexander looked up, brows furrowing nervously as he spoke with a softer voice.

 

“What happened?”

 

Tallmadge’s eyes darkened and he shook his head, crossing his arms as he leaned against the wall.

 

“It’s a blur really…” he admitted. “I just… I entered the room and I saw… I saw all the Omegas frightened to death, a strong Alpha scent assaulting my nostrils… The next thing I saw was… well Simcoe… and Thomas… fighting…”

 

Alexander blinked, confusion making his brain tie even more knots instead of undoing some threads.

 

“W...What? But why? I… Omegas don’t have territorial instincts and…”

 

His eyes widened, and he unconsciously leaned back in denial, too scared about the answer.

 

“W...Was Thomas the Alpha? Is it why they fought? Did he try to...brand him?”

 

He couldn’t picture it. Not Thomas… The man had always been an ass… But he had talked to Burr, and there was no way the soft Omega they had protected for days could have provoked such violence… Why would he even shift back in the presence of non-threatening members of his cast?

He couldn’t connect the dots, and he wasn’t sure he wanted to…

 

Tallmadge immediately shook his head.

 

“No… Alex listen… It wasn’t Thomas…”

 

Hamilton frowned, taking a step back in an unconscious sign of stress. Thomas was the only Alpha in the Omega Room. There was no way another one could have gone past the prohibited area…

 

“What do you mean by that?” he asked warily.

 

He hated the way Tallmadge looked at him, eyes so full of exhaustion and stress that Alex felt his stomach sink. Benjamin was his mentor, his older brother at heart. He couldn’t be afraid, he wasn’t allowed to.

 

“I mean… the Alpha… the Alpha wasn’t Thomas… It was Simcoe.”

 

 

**

 

Alexander Hamilton had always been the living embodiment of an electric pile. There were little to no people in this world that could match him in terms of word count per minute. His adoptive father liked to compare him to a computer, as he was always working on a subject or another.

 

Being a human computer could show some advantages. Alexander had always been a brilliant man, seeking knowledge and processing it extremely quickly. At eight, he had suddenly taken a liking for cats, turning into a nightmarish vision for the house’s pet, ironically named Hamilton, for quite a few months. He studied them from every single angle possible, begging Washington to read him dozens of books on the matter. The poor man, father for only a year, had obliged, sacrificing much of his time and saliva to Alexander’s joy and interest. Only Martha had been able to take matters into her own hands, saving her husband from the energy consuming child by teaching him how to read.

Alex had been adopted at seven by the couple, and the orphanage had never been able to satisfy his curiosity. It would only be fair to say that they probably never had enough patience and time to teach him how to read properly, for the young boy spent hours squealing in glee each time he guessed a word. Most of the time, he was wrong, and Martha had to sit him down on his chair for the hundredth time.

 

But not everything about being a genius was pleasant, and Hamilton knew it very well. He had always been hyperactive, and his brain just wouldn’t shut down. Whether it was a thrilling story to write, or a few observations he had made during the day, he could spend hours twisting it around until he was satisfied with his analysis. Years after experimenting on Hamilton the Cat’s ability to stretch his legs, Alexander’ studies were more theological than practical. His sudden, short-termed interests in cats, dinosaurs, flowers, stars and cars had turned into deeply-rooted political, social and moral stances, which he had studied and clung to for years now.

 

And if it wasn’t Washington’ saliva that Alexander assaulted everyday anymore, it was his ears and brain – although these two never truly had a break either with the loud and curious child. Now Hamilton could spend hours during lunches and breaks questioning his adoptive father on such and such decision he had made for the Omega House, days complaining about all the good ideas he had had in terms of organization that George had ignored, or even just throwing one existential question at him, making the Alpha question his whole life’s choices in the shower. Sometimes he even wished his son would just talk about cats all day again… Because frankly he could never forget those evenings he spent studying their anatomies in textbooks with him just asking “But why do they say they need whiskers?” and Washington just pressing him close and smiling “Because they do.” while being fully aware that he had no clue at all why. But if it was in a book, it was true, right?

 

Alexander had never been able not to ask question, especially when he was upset. When Martha passed away 10 years ago, Washington had made his best not to stress the young man even more by letting himself show any grief. The same scenario would repeat itself; whenever he felt like breaking down, he would put on an animal documentary, waiting for the first prey to get killed before bursting into tears. Usually, Alexander would follow soon after, sobbing out “Why did they die?” and Washington answering “Because they do.”

And frankly it was hard to tell who they were talking about…

 

Hamilton had always loved his father, and his father had always loved him. He’d adored his mother too, despite having known her for only three years. Alex had always known her to be sick, coughing up blood once in a while or laying in bed for weeks during the worst periods. She’d fallen ill seven years earlier, but the couple had decided to adopt Alex to fulfill the infertile Alpha’s dying dream.

 

Alexander had never known anything but love and trust since his adoption, and the sudden realisation that his father might have been anything else but honest with him struck him like a lightning. The young man was rushing his way towards his father’s office on the highest floor of the Omega House, heart pounding in his chest.

 

From up there, Washington had a panoramic view on the main place of the Mall thanks to a large tainted wall-window that didn’t allow people to see him. Hamilton knew every shortcuts towards that office, as he had been helping his father with the renovations of the building when he bought it, a few months after Martha’s death. Thus he didn’t have to meet any customer, which was for the best as he was in no state to smile and act polite when his entire body was burning with anger.

 

Simcoe was not a full Omega. He was dangerously oscillating towards Alpha – no actually, he _was_ just as Alpha as Thomas was Omega. Why would his father take such a risk without consulting him? If only he had asked him before buying Simcoe, Alex would have been able to feel the instability on the Omega’ Spectrum. His heart was hammering hardly against his ribcage, as his mind was already rushing with questions and arguments against his father’s choice.

 

Alexander didn’t even take the time to knock, bursting into Washington’s office and slamming the door behind him. The older man was apparently looking through some files, or at least that was until his son startled him into throwing the papers in the air.

 

He looked up, eyes wide with confusion.

 

“A...Alexander?”

 

“Dad!” the other roared, getting to slam his hands on the desk. “What the _fuck_?”

 

The Alpha glared at him, groaning as he picked his papers up. He then proceeded to sigh lengthily, only pissing his son off a bit more.

 

“First of all Alexander, language,” Washington said calmly, before gazing up, “Now what is it?”

 

It wouldn’t have been difficult to tell these two weren’t related by blood, as while his father remained calm and visibly slightly annoyed, Hamilton had already started pacing in the room. The Alpha’s eyes followed him, trying to understand what had agitated his son so much.

 

“How could you buy this Omega without consulting a Beta?” Hamilton finally gasped, stopping dead in his track to stare at him with furious eyes. “We could have warned you!”

 

“Warned me about what? Alexander you’re making no sense, sit down,” the Alpha defended himself, gesturing towards the chair in front of him.

 

Alexander blinked, his eyes literally catching fire. He pointed an accusative finger towards his father.

 

“AH! So you _knew_!” he spat, immediately starting pacing again and holding his head in dramatic gestures. “You think I’m mad because you’re fully aware of what you’ve done, and you don’t see how wrong it is! You put everyone in jeopardy without even thinking about the consequences!”

 

Washington was already bracing himself for a two hours long rant about something that he would clarify in two seconds in the end, when Alexander mentioned a danger. His natural Alpha instincts made his muscles tense, eyes darkening madly.

 

“Alexander, sit,” he growled, voice much deeper now. “Explain yourself. What danger?”

 

Hamilton finally stopped, a shiver running up his spine at the Alpha’s hard voice. That was a tone he had learnt to respect over the years, as Washington only used it when he was truly serious.

He exhaled softly, getting to take a seat before resuming his furious rent. He wasn’t going to give in this time. It was his job to protect the Omegas, and his father had messed up big time.

 

“I’m talking about your new Omega, Simcoe! Or, should I say, your new Alpha!”

 

Washington’s brows furrowed. He was visibly not aware of that fact.

 

“He’s not. He’s an Omega.”

 

“Well he might as well be an Alpha,” Alexander spat bitterly, leaning in his chair and crossing his arms. He knew he was in the right. He had no reason to fear his father’s anger. “Your _Omega_ just pounced Thomas Jefferson in our _Omega Room_ , scaring all the others and filling their nest with furious Alpha pheromones. Ah yes, “Alpha pheromones”, because did I mention he was an Alpha the whole time?”

 

He burst out laughing, eyes wide with a sarcastic light.

 

“Ah! Yes I _did_!”

 

However he soon fell silent when he caught the expression on the older man’s face. Washington’s eyes were burning coldly, and Alexander gulped upon realizing he might have upset his father.

George finally sighed, focusing back on his papers.

 

“How is Thomas?”

 

Alexander shook his head, arms crossed over his chest as he looked away. Of course Washington would worry about Jefferson first. He was not heartless, which was another reason why this conversation was so difficult for Alex. He couldn’t believe his father had put his Omegas in danger. They were like children to him!

 

“He passed out from the shock, but he’ll survive with only a few bruises,” he mumbled.

 

Anger had turned into frustration. He should have been there to protect him. It was his role, and he had failed.

The young Beta turned back towards his father, willing to get his point across.

 

“Dad, we can’t keep an unstable Omega...” he pleaded. “We were lucky Tallmadge intervened, but what if he had truly hurt Thomas?”

 

Washington’s eyes were running over the files he was reading, a neutral expression Alexander couldn’t quite grasp on his face. His father was way too calm about this, and he hated that he couldn’t understand why. What was he missing?

 

“I’m sure there is a sensible explanation behind this outburst...” Washington stated matter-of-factly. “Alpha or not, none of the Omegas were in heat, so he must have had a reason...”

 

“Are you kidding me?” Alexander snapped, jumping out of his seat. “There is a strongly _Alpha-oriented_ Omega picking a fight in our Omega Room and you’re talking about reason? Dad this is nonsense!”

 

Washington looked up, shooting his son such a passive aggressive glare that Hamilton’s breath caught in his throat as he forced himself not to take a step back. His father was a true Alpha, and his pheromones couldn’t deceive anyone. But he couldn’t afford to let him impress him right now. His Omegas were in danger, and would be so as long as Simcoe stayed here.

 

“Well Alexander, I do believe Simcoe is not the only _Alpha-oriented_ Omega we are sheltering, is he?” he articulated coldly.

 

Alex gulped, raising his chin in slight defiance not to show how nervous he was. However, he knew that was useless: his father knew him by heart, and he was fully aware that his son was distraught.

 

“Dad, this is different...” he managed to croak out, avoiding his eyes. “Thomas is unstable, but… not violent. And geez, he’d in danger out there! He’s a Jefferson turned Omega! There is a great difference between him and Simcoe starting with the fact that...”

 

He looked away, eyes dimming softly. Somehow, he couldn’t help but feel pity for his former arch-nemesis.

 

“Well… I don’t think he will ever be a true Alpha again...”

 

He could definitely smell how changed the young Virginian was, and his whole behaviour was proof enough of the drastic orientation shift. Even if he never settled for one secondary gender, Thomas would never be stable again, and even less so stabilised as an Alpha.

Alexander waited for his father’s answer, gulping weakly. The older man remained visibly unperturbed, scanning through his papers despite the gravity of the situation.

 

“I’m sure we both agree to say that Omegas aren’t any safer out there than Jefferson is,” Washington pointed out.

 

“Dad-”

 

“You are the one who’s all about activism and Omega rights, Alexander,” the other man reminded. “Did you forget about this? Would you want me to take away from Simcoe the safe haven I have just given him? Would you rather I give him back to the Market?”

 

Alexander wanted to speak, but his mouth gaped uselessly through the whole speech. His father was right. No matter how dangerous Simcoe was, no one deserved the treatment that awaited Omegas outside.

He finally exhaled, eyes burning with despair and confusion.

 

“But why did you take him in in the first place then? Why didn’t you ask me to check his Spectrum? I don’t understand Dad!”

 

Washington fell silent for a second, and Alexander didn’t stop. He got up once more, gesturing wildly in anger.

 

“It’s not a matter of Thomas being a… a mixed cast! It’s not about Thomas being a potential threat, it’s not about punishing me from taking him in without warning you, then what _is_ it about?”

 

He was burning on the inside, and his father’ silence was only fuelling his internal fire. If Washington was so silent and closed, it meant that Alex was onto something… George was fully aware that he was right, and he even felt guilty; Alex knew there was no other explanation.

He propped his hands on the desk, leaning closer.

 

“Simcoe is a danger. This could have been anyone else in Thomas’ stead. This could… this could have been Maria, or Seabury, even James!”

 

Alexander felt his father tensing, his hands gripping the papers too tightly. He looked up with an apparent calmness that didn’t fool Hamilton.

 

“Alexander, I have work to do. You should go and make sure the Omegas are ready; their shift begins in a few minutes now.”

 

“SCREW THE SHIFT!” Alexander snapped, snatching his father’s papers away. Had he been another Alpha, he would probably get killed on the spot for doing so. “I _AM_ doing my job!”

 

He planted his burning eyes into his father’s, the Alpha visibly stopping himself from exploding. Alexander had spent years educating his father on progressive views of the Alpha male: to him, the future was all about controlling their instincts instead of using fear as a way to deal with frustrations.

Right now, Washington was struggling very hard against his own nature, and Alexander would be very proud of him had he not been absolutely furious.

 

“I am doing my job at protecting _your_ Omegas, because that’s what you told me to do as head of staff!” he snarled. “And as we speak Dad, _you_ are allowing a threat to roam amongst our customers and protégés! If anything happens to them, _you_ will be to blame. You heard me? YOU!”

 

Alexander couldn’t bear the thought of it. He couldn’t bear the thought of his dolls being in danger. He had known them for years. Hell he had practically been raised with James, sharing his toys and father with him for almost six years.

And now Washington was willing to see his Omegas, his _children_ , suffer because of one poor worker choice? He couldn’t accept it.

 

Alex’s voice got a bit shaky.

 

“I don’t understand Dad… What happened? Why… why did you buy him?”

 

He fought back hardly against the tears that bubbled up in his throat from all the stress he had been through during the first few hours of the day. He couldn’t even believe a few hours ago he was sucking Aaron’s dick while playfully teasing him…

 

Washington’s eyes softened, and the anger seemed to wash off his features. He didn’t smile, nor speak. He just leaned back in his chair and opened his arms, and that was all it took for Alexander to hurry and sit in his lap.

The young Beta nuzzled in his neck, lightly trembling and sniffling. His father rocked him calmly. How long had it been since Alexander had broken down in his arms like this? Probably years…

It felt like hugging his ten years old boy all over again.

 

“I’m sorry Alex… I should have warned you...” he breathed out, gently pressing a kiss to his forehead.

 

“So… So you knew?” the Beta asked weakly, looking up with dewy eyes.

 

Washington nodded softly, making Alexander’s heart rip in half as he waited for an explanation.

 

“We needed him, my boy...” his father added calmly. “He’s a strong Omega, and despite shifting in the presence of Betas and Omegas, he cannot turn into an Alpha in the presence of another one. Which is good, Alex, I mean it...”

 

“B-but… Dad… I don’t understand… Why do we need a “strong Omega”? We have… uh… we have James, and Angelica… and Lee too.”

 

“I know my boy I know… But this one… He’s a bit special, and that’s why I bought him.”

 

Alexander frowned softly, unsure of completely following his father’s argumentation.

Thankfully, the Alpha went on.

 

“I bought him not to hurt the other Omegas, but to protect them,” he clarified. “Many customers are asking for… special services, including BDSM. And we both know only James is able to take it.”

 

Hamilton nodded. James had such strong coy instincts that he could obey and fall into subspace in a matter of seconds, protecting his mind from most of the “pleasuring” abuse.

When the BDSM trend had started to grow stronger, a few months ago, Washington had closed the Omega House for a week, pretexting some vacations for the Omegas. The news had fairly upset the general public, who argued that “Omegas didn’t need no breaks”. Thankfully, Alex had been able to convince his father not to cancel the week off.

Despite allowing them to rest indeed, the Omegas had also spent this week being tested and trained to satisfy the customer’s new “needs”. Out of the eight Omegas, only James had been able to go through the tests without being too emotionally drained or challenged, and he was thus the only one having the option “open for BDSM” on his MAP Renting list. This fact also explained his status as “best Omega of the House”, as he was very demanded.

 

Washington shook his head and continued.

 

“I bought him because he actually enjoys… “being roughened up”...” he explained, “We both know the customers don’t stick to waiting patiently for James to be available… And even if they are not as violent with the others as they are with him, I can’t stand the idea of any of them going through this...”

 

Alexander gulped and nodded weakly. His father was right: on many occasions, customers had not hesitated to get slightly too violent with the Omegas. Just a few days ago, he and Tallmadge almost had to throw one out of the House after Maria had sent them an alert through her MAP. The Alpha was furious not to be able to “just choke her a little” as he had put it.

 

“Will...” Alexander asked softly, “I mean, should we take James off the BDSM list then?”

 

He had always hated the thought of his brother getting used in such a way by strangers, who sometimes didn’t even know basic human decency.

However his hopes died out quickly as Washington shook his head.

 

“The aim is to offer more workers to the customers so they don’t violate their frustration away on the other Omegas… We only have two available ones for that kind of services, it’s not a lot. All we can do is hope for this… “trend” to end quickly.”

 

He managed to crack a weak smile, pressing his son closer.

 

“With a little luck, the customers will fight to try out our new recruit, and your friends will be able to rest a bit...”

 

Alexander wished he could smile, he really did. But one aspect of this prospect was bothering him.

 

“Yes but… Isn’t he supposed to… you know? Get one year off?”

 

Now that he started to calm down and understand his father’s logic, another matter came back to him, about which he remembered he had to talk to his father.

 

“And Thomas? I know you said we should stop covering him up, and that it was either he became a worker or your mate, but shouldn’t he get his year off too? It would give him time to think about it!” he smiled, hope flashing in his eyes.

 

All the Omegas that had joined the Pack after the opening of the Omega House had been able to benefit of one year off, during which they were able to get used to the House and its inhabitants. It was traditionally a year of games, cuddles and training for the Omegas, Alex and Tallmadge making sure they received both enough love and education to feel safe during their years of service.

During this year off, the Omegas were hidden as not to create another scandal on Washington’s leniency. _Alpha Trend_ , the most famous newspaper on the market, had even made its front page about the Omega House a year after its opening, upon realizing the Omegas were not available until their sixteenth birthday, with the sexual maturity of all three secondary genders being fourteen.

 

Alexander was almost sure his argument would help him protect Thomas a bit longer, when he caught the embarrassed expression of his father.

 

“Alex...” he sighed. “I know I had promised I would always give a year to all our new Omegas, but listen up. This… awful trend… it’s happening right now. James cannot carry its whole burden on his shoulders, especially with his heats approaching. And the others will only suffer more and more as the frustration grows amongst our customers. Simcoe is thirty, he has experience and, as you apparently saw today, energy to give. It would be safer to release him soon, as it might even avoid further… accidents.”

 

The broad man gazed over at his son, a slightly nervous glimmer in his eyes. Had Alphas not been so little inclined to look away or avoid another person’s eyes when ashamed, Alex could have sworn his father would have done so.

And yet it didn’t soothe the aching fire in his heart and soul, his need for justice and instinct to protect. He growled lowly, teeth gritting in frustration.

 

Alexander knew that Washington could be right on one aspect at least, given that releasing Simcoe so quickly would effectively appease the customers. The public opinion would be thrilled to know that the infamous Omega House owner had finally given up on nursing his workers for a year, and the establishment’s popularity would only benefit from the positive articles it would get in newspapers.

Alexander had been in charge of the strategic aspect of management since day one, his father having immediately understood no one was more fit to protect and defend something than his own son.

There was no creature on this earth more stubborn or observant than Hamilton, his need to debate and win helping him overthrow any opposition. At 9, he had harassed his poor father for chocolate cake, arguing that satisfying this need would improve their father and son relationship. Washington had given in after daily assaults which always left him feeling like a terrible father, and only Martha had been able to finally make their son understand that emotionally blackmailing his dad was not a positive way to improve their relationship.

 

Moreover, releasing Simcoe was probably the safest option there was, as the Omega’s violence would soon be contained and tamed by the actual Alphas that would rent him, and especially so if he was picked for BDSM sessions. Less energy for him meant less threats for the other Omegas, and Hamilton couldn’t argue with such a valuable outcome.

Every inch of his body would kill itself for the Omegas’ safety, for both instinctive and affective reasons. His Beta genes made him naturally need to protect them, while his emotional attachment made him care for them deeply. He could not refuse such an option now that he knew it would benefit all the Omegas under his wing.

 

But the issue wasn’t only about Simcoe, or at least there was another side to it that required Alexander’s energy and debating skills. He had promised Aaron he would protect Thomas, so he would.

He shook his head, looking back at his father.

 

“Alright… Alright I get it,” he sighed, pinching his nose to soothe himself, “Simcoe should work, you are right… But what about Thomas, uh?”

 

Washington had started to relax slightly, nodding and smiling at his son’s words, but he raised a brow again as Alexander engaged on this other topic.

He sighed, shaking his head sorrily.

 

“Alexander I already told you...”

 

“No Dad wait, hear me out,” Hamilton insisted, standing up from his father’s knees and getting to the other side of the desk, “I really think it is a terrible idea rushing things with him… I mean Dad, it’s Thomas fucking Jefferson we’re talking about!”

 

“Language,” his father growled, rolling his eyes.

 

Hamilton gulped, chuckling softly.

 

“Ah… sorry,” he smiled, not looking sorry at all, “But please, you can’t tell me you really think giving his secret away would be beneficial for us!”

 

Washington sighed loudly, leaning a bit forward on the desk. He started explaining his reasons while moving his hands, as he often did when he was talking about something serious.

 

“It’s not about being beneficial or not, Alexander, it’s about respect,” he said calmly, “You brought him in without my approbation, lied to your colleagues and possibly put the Omegas in danger.”

 

Alexander expected this argument, and he had planned his answer in advance. Yes, he had been disobedient and slightly reckless, but it was unfair to punish Burr and Jefferson in his stead. Plus, the latter being almost completely shifted and heavily stressed, there was no real danger to the other Omegas. And honestly, he had barely lied to Tallmadge; after all, he _was_ going to inform Washington on the matter, and he _was_ almost sure his father would accept to shelter the two refugees.

So really, this was only a question of perspective, and he was about to express it when his father raised his hand to stop him from speaking.

 

“Furthermore, it’s not only a question of respect, and I know you’re going to tell me I am being unjust,” he continued, “But you must understand that the way you handled the situation leaves me no other option. Had you managed to actually keep Thomas away from the Mall, I could have thought about other possibilities. But now, our customers saw him, and you know it. Yesterday, I was barely home that they assaulted me with questions. For now, they only think our new Omega “looks” like Thomas Jefferson, but it’s only a matter of time before people get suspicious. Today’s _Alpha Trend_ edition had Jefferson’s disappearance on its front cover, and yesterday it was the case for every single newspapers on Earth.”

 

Alexander gulped, looking away in shame. It was his fault, and he knew it. He shouldn’t have taken Aaron on a tour on their very first day. Thomas needed a Beta – Hell, Thomas needed _Aaron_ close to him. The poor man was so stressed and terrified, and all Hamilton had been able to think of was to take his only friend away.

He felt so stupid and furious he could cry. Thomas was in danger now, and he wasn’t even sure he could keep his promise to Aaron now that other people had seen the missing Alpha. If only he hadn’t been so stupidly happy to make Aaron one of his colleagues, Thomas would have felt safe and protected, and he’d have stayed in his room. He’d have had the time to think, recollect himself and learn how to deal with his hormonal changes… Hell, maybe he’d be safe and happy, instead of laying unconscious in an Omega Room, bruises around his neck…

Alexander managed to look up, clearing his throat. He had no time for emotions; he had a case to defend.

 

“But wouldn’t making his presence here official bring more harm than good?” he enquired, “After all, you could be accused of… I don’t know! Abduction, hormonal torture...”

 

Washington blinked, before laughing heartily, shaking his head. Alexander couldn’t stop a wry chuckle, although still too nervous to share his father’s hilarity.

 

“Alex, “hormonal torture”, really?” the Alpha smiled. “I don’t even know if that exists...”

 

“It’s not the point Dad! What I’m saying is… ugh...”

 

So many arguments were twirling inside his head. For the first time in his life, he didn’t even know what to say, for the idea of threatening Thomas’ life seemed too wrong to even think about it.

 

“It’s too dangerous,” he concluded. “And as...not as your son, but as the one in charge of the Omegas’ safety, I can’t tell you I agree with you...”

 

Washington’s eyes sparked with interest, and he smiled gently. Alexander tensed, refusing to let himself give up on his mission. He was going to make his father take his concerns seriously, no matter the price.

 

“Think about it… You… You’re not even legally responsible for him! What if… What if the parents prosecute you...”

 

The Alpha blinked, visibly not expecting this argument. He rubbed his chin, thinking for a few seconds.

 

“I don’t see why the Jefferson would want him back,” he began. “They will most likely disinherit him, as they couldn’t afford anything else but an Alpha in their lineage. So an Omega as an heir, that’s unthinkable…”

 

Alexander shook his head, trying to put his thoughts back in order. When Omegas had Omega children, the babies became the owner’s property too, and at the master’s death, all their Omegas were inherited by the heir. Now that Thomas was an Omega, he legally belonged to his parents. At least, that was what Alexander thought. Never in their society’s history had a case of hormonal shift been registered.

He didn’t know how Jefferson would be treated, and the thought of having him taken away from Aaron or the Omega House made his heart ache with stress…

 

“But Dad, what if he was taken away from us? What if we truly got prosecuted? Seriously, you’re not his legal owner, and it might be dangerous for him. Please reconsider it, I promise he’s in no state to go through another trauma...”

 

Alexander fell silent, hating himself for such a poor argument. An emotional storm was raging in his mind, and he was losing hope by the minute. He just wanted his father to understand how dreadful and dangerous giving Thomas’ identity away was…

A long and thoughtful silence followed his words, during which Washington scanned his son’s face with unreadable emotions. Was it paternal love that Alexander spotted? Or concern? Fear? Anger? He couldn’t tell…

When Washington finally got up, sighing and stretching as he walked towards his door, Hamilton followed, scanning his face for an answer.

His father looked slightly distraught, his eyes unfocused as they usually did when he was in deep thoughts.

 

“I’ll tell you what I’ll do, Alex,” he explained, opening the door. “Some customers requested my presence, so I can’t argue with you for any longer. Put Simcoe to work as soon as possible, and tell Tallmadge to cover for Thomas for now. We’ll figure out something later...”

 

Hamilton blinked, astounded, before beaming and jumping into his father’s arms. A sheer, innocent bliss flooded his heart, and he felt the older man holding him close with just as much tenderness as ever.

 

“Thank you Dad, thank you! Aaron and Thomas are going to be so relieved!”

 

Washington let out a contented groan, placing a kiss on his son’s forehead. Alexander was stubborn, and he would never be able to change his little boy.

The young Beta then rushed away, screaming something along the lines of “Good luck with your meeting!” or “Don’t settle for an arrangement without my presence!”, but it was hard to tell as the Caribbean man didn’t stop yelling until he was out of range.

The Alpha chuckled, shaking his head, before walking the other way towards the Mall.

 

Alexander arrived into the Omega Room with close to no breath, smiling from one ear to the other. He could feel his heart bumping against his ribcage, ready to announce the news to Aaron: Thomas was safe and sound for now. He had convinced Washington, just as he had promised. And maybe the Alpha hadn’t agreed to all of Burr’s requests yet, but it was only a matter of time.

 

The young man took a look around, smiling as he smelt the waves of pheromones filling the air. Tallmadge and Burr had really outdone themselves to make sure the whole room smelt like Betas again.

 

The Omegas were all preparing themselves, happily chatting and helping each others out. It was hard to tell that they had been through hell just thirty minutes earlier, and only their sheerer tenderness with one another testified for their need for reassurance.

Alexander smiled, more than proud of his dolls’ strength. Hope started to fill his heart again; Omegas were strong, hard-working, and loving. He believed more than ever that they deserved equal rights, if not the world.

 

Alexander decided to ask them about what had happened before they got to work. Most of the Omegas were preparing themselves in their closet, so he approached the nearest ones.

He walked towards Peggy, who was sat on an enormous grey pillow as she braided Maria’s hair while occasionally pecking her cheek to cheer her up. She spotted Alexander and rushed towards him, beaming and squeezing him tight.

 

“Hey Alex,” she chirped, “Benjamin has gone to meet with some customers.”

 

He nodded, gently rubbing her cheek. She truly was a ray of sunshine. Behind her, Maria finished braiding her hair, slowly walking up to them.

 

“I’m going to work,” she breathed out.

 

Hamilton blinked, gently grabbing her wrist. Her eyes were filled with fatigue, avoiding his as she hugged herself. He’d be damned if he let her leave in such a state...

 

“Hey my doll, are you okay?” he smiled, rubbing her hand.

 

She gulped, nodding weakly.

 

“I’m fine, I told Tallmadge everything.”

 

Alexander frowned: that meant something had definitely happened to her. He shook his head, emitting some pheromones to help her tense down.

As expected, Peggy melted in his arms, while Maria allowed herself to smile a bit more.

 

“You wanna tell me what happened too? Did he hurt you?” he asked, actually hoping she would.

 

Sh bit her lip and looked behind her. Alexander followed her gaze, and soon spotted Burr, James and Thomas. They were in the same position as earlier, the two Omegas nuzzled against the Beta, peacefully asleep. To be fair, Aaron was holding James close to his chest, while Thomas rested on the smallest man’s lap.

Alexander smiled; Burr was truly taking his job at heart.

 

Maria looked back at him, clearing her throat.

 

“Simcoe was… well, he wanted to make us try the… BDSM thing that we had practiced for a few months ago,” she explained weakly.

 

Alexander gulped. So Simcoe had tried to get them to perform such actions again? Truly that man needed to be tamed, and Hamilton was all the more convinced that making him work shortly was the best option.

 

“And well… Simcoe slapped me,” Maria continued, visibly ashamed.

 

Hamilton’s blood rushed to his head, eyes darkening madly. No one could raise a hand on his Omegas. Not even one of their cast.

He trembled in anger, keeping his composure not to stress the two other women out even more. The Beta blinked in slight confusion as Maria tensed down, a sheepish smile on her lip.

 

“But then Thomas intervened, and that’s how he got into the fight with Simcoe,” she smiled, “Without him, he’d have probably hurt me even more...”

 

Alexander blinked. Thomas had helped… an Omega?

His eyes widened, and he watched the two young girls giggling and walking away hand in hand, ready to work now that the story was told.

He should have held them back, reassuring them as his duty asked him to, but he couldn’t even speak. The shock was too great, and the two Omegas seemed at peace now. At peace thanks to Thomas Jefferson.

They left Hamilton to many dreams and confusions, the Beta wondering whether he should hope or forget about it. Thomas standing up for an Omega gave room to so many possibilities.

Not that Alexander didn’t expect Jefferson to change his mind about the lower cast, but he didn’t think the growth would happen so fast.

 

Maybe in the end, Thomas was naturally inclined to protecting and helping others. Maybe he wasn’t all that much of an asshole after all…

 

He smiled, turning back to the trio, filled with glee. Everything was going according to plan, and even better, he didn’t even need to work that hard for it to happen. He had convinced his father not to give away Thomas’ identity, the Simcoe situation had been handled quickly and would probably be settled soon, and now Thomas was showing signs that could indicate he was ready to stand for Omega Rights in court.

 

Alexander couldn’t have felt any better, and his heart broke softly as he realized he had to disturb this peaceful atmosphere to tell James to prepare himself for the day. He walked toward the three cuddling figures, smiling with even more endearment as he realised Aaron had fallen asleep too.

 

He had to admit it: they were cute together. Aaron’ silent support for Thomas was worthy of the sheerest love, and James’ natural kindness had always been a heart-warming presence.

But something was confusing Alexander. He knew James remained distant with Jefferson so as to respect his boundaries. Even a blind man could notice it. So why was Thomas on Madison’s lap in the first place?

 

He thought for a second, trying to come up with an explanation, before a crazy idea got to his mind: what if Jefferson had made the first move?

 

The Caribbean man’s eyes widened: on one side, he was appalled, knowing James and Thomas’s behaviour clearly showed that they had a deep relationship, but on the other hand, his heart melted thinking about poor Aaron, desperately crushing on the Jefferson.

The two Omegas were adorable together, and the tall one definitely needed his smaller Packmate. And at the same time, Aaron was so in love and cute with Thomas, yet the way he had gotten to hug James was adorable and so was James’ reaction and the way they both looked at Thomas and-

 

Alexander froze. He was stupid. So… so stupid…

Aaron loved Thomas. Thomas wasn’t indifferent to James and vice versa. And James was sensitive to Aaron’s charm

How could he, a bisexual polyamorous man, be conflicted about such an adorable love triangle? Especially when he was such a _perfect_ match maker?

 

Oh it was decided. These three were getting together.

 

 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hey ~~ Thanks for reading! As always, comments help me and make me feel like I'm writing something decent (c r i e s)
> 
> So, this time I wanted to focus a bit more on Alexander, and his relationship with Washington and the other Omegas. I hope you liked it ~~  
> I struggled so hard to write this chapter, but I'm not giving up! I'll finish this fanfic, because I really want to develop it like an actual novel!
> 
> So anyway guys, tell me what you thought of this chapter (I absolutely loathe it but it's necessary for the closure of this episode lmao)  
> I wonder what will come next ;)
> 
> See y'all ~~


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